Desmatosuchus
Dez-mat-oh-soo-kus
Name meaning: Link crocodile
Time Period: Carnian to Norian (Late Triassic) 228 - 210 mya
Locations: Texas-Tecovas Formation
Taxonomy: Aetosauria-Stagonolepididae-Desmatosuchinae
Species: D. spurensis D. smalli
Characteristics ~ ~ ~ ~
Desmatosuchus may resemble the armor-backed ankylosaurs of the Cretaceous, but they’re far from related. From the late Triassic, 62 million years before ankylosaurs, Desmatosuchus was an aetosaur: Reptiles that would eventually diverge into crocodiles, they specialized in more defensive osteoderms on their backs. They are flat across Desmatosuchus' back and are angled towards the hips looking like roof shingles. Made from boney plates atop the skin with small spikes running across the sides up to the head. Desmatosuchus in particular had 17-inch-long curved spikes on the shoulders, mostly for display. Desmatosuchus had peg-shaped teeth that were only in the back portion of the mouth for stripping the low-growth ferns of Triassic Texas and an upwardly curved snout to dig for plant roots. Desmatosuhcus is a common find in Triassic expeditions Desmatosuchus are usually found together in social groups as large as 14 individuals Coexisting with the early dinosaurs such as Coelophysis, as well as other archosaurs such as its predator Postosuchus who has been found in many digested osteoderms that may have belonged to Desmatosuchus.
History & Fossils ~ ~ ~ ~
The famous Edward Drinker Cope of the bone wars found Desmatosuchus. He found a set of armor and referred to the species as Episcoposaurus haplocerus at the Dockum formation. Later a skeleton was found that was named Desmatosuchus spurensis in the Tecovas Formation. Reanalysis in 2008 found that Episcoposaurus was material for Desmatosuchus and Episcoposaurus was invalidated and D. spurensis is now considered the holotype specimen
Media Deptictions ~ ~ ~ ~
Dino D Day They say that the winners write history in their favor and boy did they re-write history leaving out the part where the Nazis brought dinosaurs back from extinction for their armies. Desmatosuchus is the tank character He has an anti-aircraft cannon on his back which fires when he chomps. He's kinda trash as you'll just get focus fired out in most situations but decent in 1v1s. If you like Team fortress 2 you should give this game a try.
Jurassic World Evolution 3 Desmatosuchus was added in the Crocodile Coast Dlc alongside Deinosuchus, Postosuchus, and the re-added Styxosaurus, and Shonisaurus. Desmtosuchus is unique among all the Jwe3 animals as it has reverse sexual dimorphism, with the females having larger spines rather than the males.
