[N] 2006 Razanandrongobe sakalavae an archosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar
20060409
Maganuco S., Dal Sasso C., and Pasini G., 2006 - A new large predatory archosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar, with remarks on its affinities and paleobiology. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano, 147 (I): 19-51.
Abstract Here we report on the finding of new vertebrate remains from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of the Mahajanga basin, NW Madagascar, that represent one of the largest predatory archosaurs from Gondwana. The remains consist of a fragmentary right maxilla bearing three teeth and seven isolated teeth that clearly belong to a single taxon. Although the scarcity of the remains renders establishment of affinities difficult, the presence of a unique combination of features including a well developed medial shelf of the maxilla, rostral and lateral teeth respectively U-shaped and sub-oval in cross-section, and very large tooth denticles (1 per mm), allows us to erect a new taxon, Razanandrongobe sakalavae. Additionally, the structure of the teeth, the peculiar wear of their enamel, and the morphology of the maxilla strongly suggest that Razanandrongobe sakalavae often crushed the bones of its prey.
Maganuco S., Dal Sasso C., and Pasini G., 2006 - A new large predatory archosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar, with remarks on its affinities and paleobiology. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano, 147 (I): 19-51.
Abstract Here we report on the finding of new vertebrate remains from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of the Mahajanga basin, NW Madagascar, that represent one of the largest predatory archosaurs from Gondwana. The remains consist of a fragmentary right maxilla bearing three teeth and seven isolated teeth that clearly belong to a single taxon. Although the scarcity of the remains renders establishment of affinities difficult, the presence of a unique combination of features including a well developed medial shelf of the maxilla, rostral and lateral teeth respectively U-shaped and sub-oval in cross-section, and very large tooth denticles (1 per mm), allows us to erect a new taxon, Razanandrongobe sakalavae. Additionally, the structure of the teeth, the peculiar wear of their enamel, and the morphology of the maxilla strongly suggest that Razanandrongobe sakalavae often crushed the bones of its prey.