| Redondavenator | |
|---|---|
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| Diagram of preserved snout bones | |
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| Size comparison of Redondavenator, showcasing known bones in white | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Archosauria |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Clade: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Genus: | †Redondavenator Nesbittet al.,2005 |
| Type species | |
| †Redondavenator quayensis Nesbittet al., 2005 | |
Redondavenator (meaning "Redonda Formation hunter") is agenus ofsphenosuchian, a type ofbasalcrocodylomorph, theclade that comprises thecrocodilians and their closest kin. It is known from a partial upper jaw and leftshoulder girdle found in rocks of theNorian-Rhaetian-ageUpper TriassicRedonda Formation, northeasternNew Mexico. It is notable for its large size; the minimum estimated skull length for theholotype individual is 60 centimetres (2.0 ft).[1][2] This makes itthe largest Triassic crocodylomorph ever recorded.[3]
Redondavenator isbased onNMMNH P–125615, a partialanterior skull and associated partial leftscapula andcoracoid. These fossils were collected during one of theNew Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science expeditions to the Redonda Formation ofQuay County, New Mexico in the 1980s and 1990s. A partial lower jaw was once thought to belong as well, but was found to have come from aphytosaur. The fossils were found in aconglomerate layer high in the formation, abovelacustrineshales with fossils ofsemionotid fish. The conglomerate is interpreted asdebris flows along a lake margin.[1]
Redondavenator was named in 2005 by Sterling Nesbitt and colleagues. Thetype species isR. quayensis, referring to Quay County. The preserved portion of the skull includes thepremaxillae (snout tip) and parts of themaxillae (main tooth-bearing bones of the upper jaw) andnasals, in front of theantorbital fenestra. The fourth and fifth teeth of themaxilla were enlarged. Ridges and other sculpting were present on the upper surface of the snout. The shoulder bones were robust. Nesbitt and colleagues described their new genus as a basal sphenosuchian. They interpreted it as filling a large terrestrial predator role that had been left empty by the extinction of "rauisuchians".[1]
