Hupehsuchus
Hupehsuchus is an extinct genus of small marine reptiles, about 1 m (3 ft) long, found in the area of Hubei in China.[1] This marine reptile lived in the Olenekian stage of the Early Triassic period.[2] It was probably a filter feeder, like modern baleen whales.[3]
| Hupehsuchus Temporal range: Early Triassic, Olenekian, | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Specimen WGSC 26004 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | †Hupehsuchia |
| Family: | †Hupehsuchidae |
| Genus: | †Hupehsuchus Young, 1972 |
| Type species | |
| †Hupehsuchus nanchangensis Young, 1972 | |
Description
Hupehsuchus was similar to its close relative, Nanchangosaurus, but differed from it in a number of ways. For example, Hupehsuchus had heavier armor on its back than Nanchangosaurus, and its back spines were more finely divided, giving it a more crocodile-like appearance than Nanchangosaurus. It had a thin, long snout like a gharial, river dolphin, or ichthyosaur, which it probably used to snag fish or probe for aquatic invertebrates. A 2023 study suggests, on the basis of cranial anatomy paralleling that of baleen whales, that Hupehsuchus could have been a filter feeder.[3]
Classification
Exactly to what species Hupehsuchus is related is unknown. Fairly clearly, it shares a close relationship with Nanchangosaurus, but other relations are unknown. Many features, including the discovery of polydactyly, suggest that Hupehsuchus is related to the ichthyosaurs, but the fact that Hupehsuchus' extra digits include more bones in the hand, rather than just the fingers as in the ichthyosaurs, may discredit that theory. It, along with Nanchangosaurus, seems to be so different from any other reptile that a new order has been constructed for the two genera called Hupehsuchia.
References
- Li, Qiang; Liu, Jun (2020). "An Early Triassic sauropterygian and associated fauna from South China provide insights into Triassic ecosystem health". Communications Biology. 3 (1). 63. doi:10.1038/s42003-020-0778-7. PMC 7012838. PMID 32047220.
- Chen, X. H.; Motani, R.; Cheng, L.; Jiang, D. Y.; Rieppel, O. (2014). "A Carapace-Like Bony 'Body Tube' in an Early Triassic Marine Reptile and the Onset of Marine Tetrapod Predation". PLOS ONE. 9 (4): e94396. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...994396C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094396. PMC 3981804. PMID 24718682.
- Fang, Zi-Chen (8 August 2023). "First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales". BMC Ecology and Evolution. 23 (36): 36. doi:10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9. ISSN 2730-7182. PMC 10408079. PMID 37550649.
- Chinese Fossil Vertebrates by Spencer G. Lucas
- The World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures by Dougal Dixon
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