{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}
{{Taxobox
|name =
Pristichampsus
|fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Paleocene|Eocene}}
|regnum =
AnimalAnimals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously...
ia
|phylum =
ChordataChordates are animals which are either vertebrates or one of several closely related invertebrates. They are united by having, for at least some period of their life cycle, a notochord, a hollow dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits, an endostyle, and a post-anal tail...
|classis =
SauropsidaReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
|ordo =
CrocodiliaCrocodilia is an order of large reptiles that appeared about 84 million years ago in the late Cretaceous Period . They are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria...
|subordo =
EusuchiaEusuchia is a clade of crocodylomorphs that first appears in the Early Cretaceous with Hylaeochampsa. All living crocodilian species are eusuchians, as are many extinct forms.-Description:...
|familia = Pristichampsidae
|genus =
Pristichampsus
|genus_authority = Gervais, 1853
|subdivision_ranks =
SpeciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
|subdivision =
- P. rollinatii (Gray, 1831)
- P. vorax (Troxell, 1925)
- P. hengdongensis (Li 1984)
}}
Pristichampsus ("saw crocodile") is an extinct genus of crocodylian that grew to approximately three metres (10 ft) in length.
Several remains of
Pristichampsus have been found around the world, including
P. rollinatii, the type species from the
LutetianThe Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between 48.6 ± 0.2 Ma and 40.4 ± 0.2 Ma . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Middle Eocene subepoch...
of France; and
P. vorax from the Middle Eocene of Wyoming and West Texas. Other species have been described, including
P. birjukovi and
P. kuznetzovi from the Middle Eocene of Eastern Kazakhstan and
P. geiseltalensis and
P. magnifrons from the
LutetianThe Lutetian is, in the geologic timescale, a stage or age in the Eocene. It spans the time between 48.6 ± 0.2 Ma and 40.4 ± 0.2 Ma . The Lutetian is preceded by the Ypresian and is followed by the Bartonian. Together with the Bartonian it is sometimes referred to as the Middle Eocene subepoch...
of Germany. The smaller crocodylian Planocrania, including
P. hengdongensis (Paleocene) and
P. datangensis (Paleocene or Early Eocene) from China, are sometimes included within
Pristichampsus.
Description and habits
Pristichampsus had heavily
armoured skinOsteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodilians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and Nanchangosaurus...
, and long limbs suggesting a
cursorialCursorial is a biological term that describes an organism as being adapted specifically to run. It is typically used in conjunction with an animal's feeding habits or another important adaptation...
(i.e. running) habitus. It also had hoof-like toes, suggesting that it lived more on land than in the water, and that it therefore probably hunted terrestrial
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
s.
Pristichampsuss teeth were laterally compressed, sharp, and had serrated edges. Due to their similarity to those of certain theropod dinosaur{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Otheruses}}{{pp-semi-protected|small=yes}}{{Taxobox|name = Dinosaurs|fossil_range = {{Fossil range|230|65|earliest=230|latest=0|PS=
Descendant taxon Aves survives to present.}}|image = field_dinos_2.jpg...
s they were initially mistaken for theropod teeth, leading paleontologists to believe that some non-avian dinosaurs survived the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction eventThe Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, which occurred approximately , was a large-scale mass extinction of animal and plant species in a geologically short period of time. Widely known as the K–T extinction event, it is associated with a geological signature known as the K–T boundary, usually a...
.
The species P. rollinatii shows further features adapting the animal to this lifestyle. The tail was more reminiscent of a dinosaur's, being round in cross-section and lacking the
osteodermOsteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodilians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and Nanchangosaurus...
crest observed in extant crocodile species. It would also have been capable of
gallopGallop may refer to:*Gallop, an asymmetrical gait used at high speeds by quadrupedal organisms.*Horse Gallop, the gallop gait as performed by horses.*Gallop , a Japanese animation studio*Galop or Gallop, a lively ballroom dance...
ing and facultative bipedalism. However, this would only have been possible at high speeds as the centre of gravity moves in front of the pelvis.
In popular culture
A Pristichampsus
appeared in a Season 3 episode of PrimevalPrimeval is a British science fiction television series.Primeval or primæval may also refer to:* Primeval , a 2007 film* Primeval , a score of music from the BBC TV series Doctor Who...
, in which it escapes through a time anomaly in the British MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture situated in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from...
before making its way through London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Pristichampsus
, identified as "hoofed crocodile", is listed in the History Channel special The Link
as one of three evolutionary dead-ends that was a contemporary of DarwiniusDarwinius is a genus of Adapiformes, a group of basal primates from the Eocene epoch. Its only known species is Darwinius masillae, dated to 47 million years ago based on dating of the fossil site....
, the others being GastornisGastornis , is an extinct genus of large flightless bird that lived during the late Paleocene and Eocene periods of the Cenozoic. It was named in 1855, after Gaston Planté, who had discovered the first fossils in Argile Plastique formation deposits at Meudon near Paris...
and LeptictidiumLeptictidium is an extinct genus of small mammals; together with macropods and humans, they are the only known completely bipedal mammals. Comprising five species, they resembled today's elephant shrews...
.