| Rhinesuchus Temporal range: Late Permian | |
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| An artist's illustration of Rhinesuchus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Family: | Rhinesuchidae |
| Genus: | †Rhinesuchus |
Rhinesuchus (meaning “nose crocodile”) is a large temnospondyl amphibian. Fossil remains of the genus are known from the Permian of the South African Karoo Basins Tapinocephalus and Cistecephalus assemblage zones, both of the Beaufort Group. Specimens that possibly belong to this genus have also been found in the Lower Triassic of western Russia.
Description[]
Rhinesuchus skull material from Karoo
The skull on Rhinesuchus had a flat triangular shape with blunt snout similar to some of the other large amphibians and had a palate filled with small sharp teeth suggesting that it hunted fish. Also, the small eyes were on top of the head suggesting that it approached its prey from below.
It is a popular misconception that Rhinesuchus is named after the Rhine River in Europe, but Rhinesuchus actually gets its name from the Greek word for nose. Two more species, R. africanus and R. wadiai, are considered to be nomen dubium, while others have been found to be other species. At the time of writing only R. broomianus and R. capensis are recognised. R. wolgodvinensis, a problematic species, is known from the Lower Triassic of Kirov and Kostroma, Russia.
In popular culture[]
- Rhinesuchus appears in the third episode of Walking with Monsters, where it lives in the arid desert of Siberia alongside gorgonopsids, Scutosaurus and Diictodon during the late Permian period. That is an error since all specimens of Permian-aged Rhinesuchus are known from southern Africa. Rhinesuchus wolgodvinensis was discovered in Russia, but in western part instead of Siberia and in the Early Triassic sediments, not Permian.
Gallery[]
Rhinesuchus/Gallery