Crocodylo-Month, Day 14: Bernissartia
(Image by Nobu Tamura.)
Bernissartia lived in the Early Cretaceous of Europe, around 130 million years ago. It was semi-aquatic, and resembled modern crocodilians in most respects, save for two important factors:
Its small size. Bernissartia was only two feet long, making it one of the smallest crocodylomorphs to ever live.
Its teeth. The front of Bernissartia’s snout had long, pointy teeth that would have been useful for catching fish, while the back teeth were wide, flat, and well-suited to crushing. It may have used these teeth to crush the bones of its prey, or possibly to break through clam shells.
Bernissartia was discovered in 1883, and assigned to its own unique family, Bernissartiidae. In 2011, a second species of bernissartiid crocodylomorph was discovered on the Isle of Wight. This species displayed similar dentition, and was named Koumpiodontosuchus - “button-toothed crocodile.”
(Koumpiodontosuchus, by Mark Witton.)