Hupehsuchus was a small genus of marine reptile, about 1 meter (3 ft) long. It was found in the area of Hubei

Hubei

' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...

 in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. This marine reptile lived in the Olenekian

Olenekian

In the geologic timescale, the Olenekian is an age in the Early Triassic epoch or a stage in the Lower Triassic series. It spans the time between 249.7 ± 0.7 Ma and 245 ± 0.7 Ma . The Olenekian follows the Induan and is followed by the Anisian.The Olenekian saw the deposition of a large part of the...

 stage of the Early Triassic

Early Triassic

The Early Triassic is the first of three epochs of the Triassic period of the geologic timescale. It spans the time between 251 ± 0.4 Ma and 245 ± 1.5 Ma . Rocks from this epoch are collectively known as the Lower Triassic, which is a unit in chronostratigraphy...

 period. Hupehsuchus was similar to its close cousin, Nanchangosaurus

Nanchangosaurus

Nanchangosaurus was a large aquatic reptile native to the middle Triassic of China. It was named after the area in China, Nanchang, where it was found. It was about three feet in length, and probably fed on fish or used its long jaws to probe for aquatic invertebrates...

, but differed from it in a number of ways. For example, Hupehsuchus had heavier armor on its back than Nanchangosaurus, and its back spines were more finely divided, giving it a more crocodile-like appearance than Nanchangosaurus. It had a thin, long snout like a gharial

Gharial

The gharial , , also called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well-represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts...

, river dolphin

River dolphin

River dolphins are the four living species of dolphin that reside in freshwater rivers and estuaries. River dolphins inhabit areas of Asia and South America. They are classed in the Platanistoidea superfamily of cetaceans. Three species live in fresh water rivers. The fourth species, the La Plata...

, or ichthyosaur

Ichthyosaur

Ichthyosaurs were giant marine reptiles that resembled fish and dolphins...

, which it probably used to snag fish or probe for aquatic invertebrates.

It is unknown exactly what Hupehsuchus is related to. It is fairly clear that it shares a close relationship with Nanchangosaurus, but other relations are unknown. Many features, including the discovery of polydactyly, suggest that Hupehsuchus is related to the ichthyosaurs, but the fact that Hupehsuchus extra digits include more bones in the hand, rather than just the fingers as in the ichthyosaurs, may discredit that theory. It along with Nanchangosaurus seem to be so different from any other reptile that a new order has been constructed for the two genera called Hupehsuchia

Hupehsuchia

Hupehsuchia is an order of diapsid reptiles, of which Nanchangosauridae is the only family. The order was short-lasting, with a temporal range restricted to the Spathian age of the late Olenekian, spanning only a few million years of the Early Triassic...

.

Sources

• Chinese Fossil Vertebrates by Spencer G. Lucas
• The World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures by Dougal Dixon