Pholidosauridae

Pholidosaurids Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - Late Cretaceous, 167.7–89.3 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Pholidosaurus meyeri fossil at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Suborder:	†Tethysuchia
Family:	†Pholidosauridae Zittel and Eastman, 1902
Subgroups
See text.

See text.

Pholidosauridae is an extinct family of aquatic neosuchian mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs. Fossils have been found in Europe (Denmark, England, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden), Africa (Algeria, Niger, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia), North America (Canada and the United States) and South America (Brazil and Uruguay). The pholidosaurids first appeared in the fossil record during the Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic and became extinct during the Late Turonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.

Sarcosuchus is one of the best known pholidosaurs. It is believed to have attained lengths of up to 12 meters and weighed up to 8 tonnes. One genus, Suchosaurus, once thought to be a pholidosaur, has since been shown to be a spinosaurid theropod dinosaur.