Araripesuchus wegeneri

Araripesuchus is an extinct genus of notosuchian crocodyliform that lived in Gondwana during the Cretaceous Period. The genus includes at least five species found throughout Western Africa and South America. The relationship of the individual species within this genus is hotly debated, specifically, the placement of Araripesuchus wegeneri.A. wegeneri is a small bodied crocodyliform characterized by relatively elongate limbs, an upright gait, and marked heterodonty. The tooth morphology, when combined with tooth wear and orientation, suggests that this animal may have been an omnivore or herbivore. Additionally, the gracile limbs and their orientation imply that this was a terrestrial animal. These features demonstrate that Araripesuchus wegeneri stands in stark contrast to its modern day relatives, crocodiles and alligators.

Araripesuchus wegeneri was originally recovered from northeastern Niger in 1966 from the Gadoufaoua locality. Sereno and Larsson (2009) described additional skeletal material from the Elrhaz Formation of Niger, located along the western margin of the Ténéré Desert. The Elrhaz Formation, part of the larger Tegma Group, is Lower Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) in age and is approximately 110 million years old. The Elrhaz Formation is composed of primarily cross-bedded fluvial sandstones and has yielded a diverse vertebrate fossil assemblage, including theropods, sauropods, ornithischians, and crocodyliforms.

Araripesuchus wegeneri is a small-bodied (< 1.0 m) crocodyliform characterized by a distinct heterodont dentition and an upright quadrupedial posture. It was originally published on in 1979 and formally described from a partial skull and lower jaw two years later. Sereno and Larsson (2009) revised this diagnosis with additional material, including a complete skull. Many of the unique morphological features, or autapomorphies, of Araripesuchus wegeneri are found on the cranium. For example, A. wegeneri is characterized by a hole, or foramen, in the premaxillary bone in front of the first premaxillary tooth and a small fossa on the jugal, though many other autapomorphies exist.

...
Wikipedia