Gavialimimus
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
Skull of an indeterminate Moroccan plioplatecarpine skeleton, possibly G. almaghribensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Superfamily: †Mosasauroidea
Family: †Mosasauridae
Clade: †Russellosaurina
Subfamily: †Plioplatecarpinae
Genus: †Gavialimimus
Strong et al., 2020
Type species
†Gavialimimus almaghribensis
Strong et al., 2020

Gavialimimus is an extinct genus of plioplatecarpine mosasaur from the Maastrichtian of Morocco. The holotype MHNM.KHG.1231, an articulated skull and associated fragmentary postcrania, was found in the Ouled Abdoun Basin.[1]

The etymology of this genus means "gharial mimic" (Hindi Gavial = "gharial" + Greek mimus = "mimic"). The genus name refers to morphological convergence between Gavialimimus and the extant gharial (Gavialis gangeticus). Gavialimimus has been said to occupy the niche of a large piscivore. In this way, through severe specialization, it managed to co-exist with several other large mosasaur species in the same area.[1]

It was a medium-sized mosasaur, measuring 6 metres (20 ft) long.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Strong, Catherine R. C.; Caldwell, Michael W.; Konishi, Takuya; Palci, Alessandro (2020-09-28). "A new species of longirostrine plioplatecarpine mosasaur (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Morocco, with a re-evaluation of the problematic taxon 'Platecarpus' ptychodon". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (21): 1769–1804. doi:10.1080/14772019.2020.1818322.
  2. ↑ Cooper, S.L.A.; Marson, K.J.; Smith, R.E.; Martill, D. (2022). "Contrasting preservation in pycnodont fishes reveals first record of regurgitalites from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Moroccan phosphate deposits". Cretaceous Research. 131 (4). 105111. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105111.


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