Three Amigos!
Three apex predators (in their own environs) on display at our booth at the 2024 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology annual meetings, this one held in Minneapolis.
In 1993, my friend Dr. David Krause, led a team to Madagascar to search for the origins of mammals of Madagascar (among other things). They discovered essentially the entirety of the rocks they would need to answer their questions is missing from the fossil record there. However…
The team stumbled upon a stunning treasure trove of amazingly complete and well-preserved skeletons of previously unknown genera! #ExpressExhibits, via Triebold Paleontology, has been scanning the original fossils and bringing Madagascar Late #Cretaceousfossils “back to life,” using the latest discoveries to make the most scientifically accurate and research-ready specimens of the wondrous island available.
For the first time ever please meet one of the most stunning skulls you will ever see of a #crocodylomorph!
#Mahajungasuchus is a beast whose phylogenetic placement has been debated since named in 1999. The latest analyses place it in its own family, the Mahjimasuchidae, and make it a member of the #Notosuchians, with the #peirosuchids like #Kaprosuchus as a sister group.
This skull is now my favorite, that broad, snub-nosed skull full of vicious teeth being my favorite look, contrasting strongly with the typical elongate snout. Surprisingly to me, it is thought to have been semi-aquatic. I envision an #alligator, but even tougher and more severe, maxing out around 15’ and 800+ lbs.
#Beelzebufo the “Devil Toad,” is a stunningly powerful biter
www.fossilcrates.com/blogs/news/beelzebufo is a blog worthy of this frog!
#Majungasaurus is the largest #theropod #dinosaur known from the island. I saw a talk yesterday at SVP demonstrating that despite some skull bone flexibility, it did not bite like a varanid lizards with semi-kinesis, but rather had akinetic skulls like the rest of the theropods.
#FossilCrates
Fossil Crates