Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

Tasmaniosaurus triassicus Proterosuchidae Early Triassic, Poets Road member of Knocklofty Formation, Hobart, Tasmania

This 1 m long lizard-like reptile is the most complete fossil reptile known from Australia. A slab of sandstone contains the scattered remains of the entire animal. A number of small labyrinthodont bone fragments were found associated with its ribs that has been interpreted as probably being its last meal. It is believed to be very similar to, and possibly closely related to, Chasmatosaurus, from the Triassic of Africa and China.

It had a long premaxilla that was slightly curved, no parietal foramen, vertical quadrate, a vacuity at the posterior end of the dentary, the vertebrae were shallowly amphicoelous vertebrae, the cervical ribs were long and double-headed, it had long limbs and feet, it lacked bony scutes. It is the only proterosuchian to retain an interclavical, indicating it is a primitive form. The skull had a narrow snout and, unlike the antorbital fenestra of Kalisuchus that has a square shaped anterior margin, the anterior margin is rounded. There is an unusually large number of teeth in the premaxilla.

Sources & Further reading

Dinosaurs of Australia and New Zealand, John A. Long, UNSW Press, 1998
Archosauria
Therapsida
Gorgonopsida
Synapsida
Lepidosauria
Eosuchia
Mekosuchines
Mudtsoiid Snakes
Australian Reptiles
Megalania
Triassic Australia
Jurassic Australia
Cretaceous Australia

 

Author: M. H. Monroe
Email:  admin@austhrutime.com
Last Updated 30/09/2011 
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                                                                                           Author: M.H.Monroe  Email: admin@austhrutime.com     Sources & Further reading