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Champsosaurus gigas

Reptilia

Taxonomy
Champsosaurus gigas was named by Erickson (1972). Its type specimen is SMM P71.2.1, a skeleton (A nearly complete skeleton with a partial skull and lower jaw of a young animal), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Champsosaurus gigas type (SMM), which is in a Paleocene terrestrial horizon in the Fort Union Formation of North Dakota.

Synonymy list
YearName and author
1972Champsosaurus gigas Erickson p. 12
1998Champsosaurus gigas Gao and Fox pp. 333-334
2023Champsosaurus gigas Dudgeon et al.

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
RankNameAuthor
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
—Sauropsida
classReptilia
subclassEureptilia()
—Romeriida
—Diapsida()
—Eosuchia()
—Neodiapsida
—SauriaGauthier 1984
—Choristodera()
suborderNeochoristoderaEvans and Hecht 1993
genusChampsosaurus
speciesgigas

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Champsosaurus gigas Erickson 1972
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Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
B. R. Erickson 1972A very large species having unusually long hind limbs and a pronounced development of rib incising. The geographic range of this form is quite large.
K. -Q. Gao and R. C. Fox 1998Large champsosaur differing from other species in having the combination of the following characters: parietal table strongly projecting laterally at anterior margin of superior temporal fenestra; posterior part of parietal table narrower than in other species of comparable size; postorbital extending anteromedially to meet frontal and parietal, preventing postfrontal/parietal contact
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: freshwaterg
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: aquaticg
Diet: piscivoreg
Created: 2005-09-14 13:39:08
Modified: 2005-09-14 15:39:08
Source: g = genus, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Carroll 1988, Bryant 1989, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: Late/Upper Paleocene or 58.70000 to 55.80000 Ma

Collections (6 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Ti461.7 - 56.8Canada (Saskatchewan) Champsosaurus gigas (14978)
Tiffanian61.7 - 56.8USA (North Dakota) Champsosaurus gigas (15000 27640)
Late/Upper Paleocene58.7 - 55.8USA (North Dakota) Champsosaurus gigas (type locality: 78394)
Clarkforkian56.2 - 54.9USA (Wyoming) Champsosaurus gigas (15181 15212)