Harpacochampsa

Taxobox
name = "Harpacochampsa"
fossil_range = Early Miocene


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo = Crocodilia
familia = Crocodylidae
subfamilia = ?Mekosuchinae
genus = "Harpacochampsa"
genus_authority = Megirian, Murray & Willis 1991
species = "H. camfieldensis"
species_authority = Megirian, Murray & Willis 1991

"Harpacochampsa camfieldensis" ("Hook Crocodile of Camfield") is a poorly known Early Miocene crocodilian from the Bullock Creek lagerstatte of the Northern Territory. The current specimen consists of a partial skull and fragments of a slender snout reminiscent of that of a false gharial. It is tentatively placed within Mekosuchinae,Willis, P. M. A., " [http://www.rzsnsw.org.au/publications/AZ30-3/AZ30-3_Willis_287-298.pdf Review of Crocodilians of Australasia] " (pdf).] though some experts disagree with this, as "H. camfieldensis" would be the only known mekosuchine with a long, thin snout. [Brochu, Christopher A, American Zoologist, Jun 2001. " [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3746/is_200106/ai_n8975377/pg_7 Crocodylian snouts toward adaptive radiation] ."] Its long snout demonstrates that it was a piscivore in life.

References