Prionosuchus
Sign in to savePrionosuchus is an extinct genus of large temnospondyl. A single species P. plummeri, is recognized from the Early Permian (some time between 299 and 272 million years ago). Its fossils have been found in what is now northeastern Brazil.
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4 sectionsContents
- Description
- Classification
- Paleoecology
- References
Prionosuchus is an extinct genus of large temnospondyl. A single species P. plummeri, is recognized from the Early Permian (some time between 299 and 272 million years ago). Its fossils have been found in what is now northeastern Brazil.
== Description == thumb|left|150px|Size of the holotype specimen (green) and largest known specimen (gray) relative to a human The fragmentary remains of this animal have been found in the Pedra de Fogo Formation in the Parnaíba Basin of Northeastern Brazil, in the states of Piauí and Maranhão, and it was described by L.I. Price in 1948. The incomplete skull of the holotype specimen has been estimated to be long. Several more fragmentary specimens have been found. One very fragmentary but very large specimen (BMNH R12005) appears to have come from an individual nearly three times the size of most other specimens, and may have had a skull that measured up to long. Based on related species and comparisons with living gharials, the total body length of this specimen has been estimated to reach greater than long.