| Stomatosuchus | |
|---|---|
| |
| An artist's illustration of Stomatosuchus inermis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Superorder: | Crocodylomorpha |
| Family: | †Stomatosuchidae |
| Genus: | †Stomatosuchus Stromer, 1925 |
| Binomial name | |
| †Stomatosuchus inermis Stromer, 1925 | |
Stomatosuchus inermis ("Weaponless mouth crocodile") was a 10 meters (33 feet) long stomatosuchid neosuchian from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) of Egypt. Unlike most other crocodyliforms, it is difficult to determine exactly what S. inermis ate. Its flattened skull had a long, flat, lid-like snout, which was lined with small, conical teeth. The mandible may have been toothless and may have supported a pelican-like throat pouch. This kind of pouch is also seen in the non - related species of caiman Mourasuchus.
The only known specimen, a large skull, which was collected in German paleontologist Ernst Stromer's Egyptian expedition, was obliterated when the Munich Museum was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid in 1944.
