Guarinisuchus is an extinct genus of marine crocodyliform from the Early Paleocene 62 million years ago of the Maria Farinha Formation, Brazil.[1] The type species is G. munizi. It was a dominant predator in its environment,[citation needed] and probably reached a length of 3 metres (9.8 ft). Guarinisuchus appears to be closely related to marine crocodylomorphs found in Africa, which supports the hypothesis that the group originated in Africa and migrated to South America before spreading into the waters off the North American coast.[2]

Guarinisuchus
Temporal range: Early Paleocene (Tiupampan-Peligran)
~66–61.7 Ma
Life restoration of Guarinisuchus munizi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauria
Clade: Pseudosuchia
Clade: Crocodylomorpha
Clade: Crocodyliformes
Family: Dyrosauridae
Genus: Guarinisuchus
Barbosa et al., 2008
Type species
G. munizi
Barbosa et al., 2008
Size (2), compared to other Brazilian Cretaceous Crocodylomorphs

References

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Further reading

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  • Barbosa, José Antonio; Alexander Wilhelm Armin Kellner; Maria Somália Sales Viana (March 2008). "New dyrosaurid crocodylomorph and evidences for faunal turnover at the K–P transition in Brazil". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275 (1641): 1385–91. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.0110. PMC 2602706. PMID 18364311.
  • National Geographic
  • FOX News