Batrachosuchoides

Batrachosuchoides is a genus of prehistoric amphibians that lived during the Triassic period. The genus is part of the family Capitosauridae, a group of large, mostly aquatic temnospondyl amphibians. The only known species of this genus is Batrachosuchoides broweri.

Description

Batrachosuchoides was a large amphibian, with a skull length of up to 50 centimeters. The skull was broad and flat, with a wide, rounded snout. The eyes were positioned near the top of the head, suggesting that Batrachosuchoides was an ambush predator, lying in wait for prey while submerged in water. The teeth were conical and sharp, suitable for catching and holding onto slippery prey like fish.

Discovery and naming

The genus Batrachosuchoides was first described in 1956 by the paleontologist Alfred Sherwood Romer. The type species, Batrachosuchoides broweri, was named in honor of David M. Brouwer, a Dutch paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of Triassic amphibians.

Classification

Batrachosuchoides is classified within the family Capitosauridae, a group of temnospondyl amphibians that were common during the Triassic period. Other genera within this family include Paracyclotosaurus, Wetlugasaurus, and Eryosuchus.

Paleobiology

Like other capitosaurs, Batrachosuchoides was likely a semi-aquatic predator. Its large size and the position of its eyes suggest that it was an ambush predator, lying in wait for prey to come within striking distance. Its diet likely consisted of fish and other small aquatic animals.

Distribution and habitat

Fossils of Batrachosuchoides have been found in the Madygen Formation in Kyrgyzstan, suggesting that this amphibian lived in freshwater environments during the Triassic period.

See also

• List of prehistoric amphibians
• Capitosauridae
• Triassic period