[D] Razanandrongobe sakalavae [dG] [T]
Describer
Maganuco, Dal Sasso, and Pasini, 2006
Time
Jurassic Middle Bathonian
Classification
?Saurischia ?Theropoda Nomina Dubia
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Mahajanga Basin, Madagascar
Info
Genus - Typespecies
Possible crocodylomorph or theropod
Maganuco S., Dal Sasso C., and Pasini G. (2006) A new large predatory archosaur from the Middle Jurassic of Madagascar. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milano, 147 (I): 19-51.
The vertebrate remains represent one of the largest predatory \\\\\\\"archosaurs\\\\\\\" from Gondwana. The remains ¨holoype[ MSNM V5770] 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.