New crocodilian species that co-existed with the last dinosaurs of the Pyrenees is described
Alba Vicente, researcher at the University of Barcelona, is co-author of a study, published in the scientific journal PeerJ, which described a new species of crocodile that co-existed with the last dinosaurs of the Pyrenees during the Cretaceous. Developed together with members of the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology Miquel Crusafont (ICP), the study named the new species Allodaposuchus hulki. The name refers to Hulk, a Marvel superhero, because the specimen described is robust, with a very developed musculature.
Alba Vicente, researcher at the University of Barcelona, is co-author of a study, published in the scientific journal PeerJ, which described a new species of crocodile that co-existed with the last dinosaurs of the Pyrenees during the Cretaceous. Developed together with members of the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology Miquel Crusafont (ICP), the study named the new species Allodaposuchus hulki. The name refers to Hulk, a Marvel superhero, because the specimen described is robust, with a very developed musculature.
To be exact, researchers at the University of Barcelona have processed sediment samples at the lab looking for charophyta, the predecessor of plants that live in continental aquatic habitats, in fresh and marine waters. Alba Vicente, trainee researcher that collaborates in the project BIOGEOMODELS of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, explains that charophyta allows dating and reconstructing continental levels and sites where they are found. In the case of the research study on A. hulki, taxonomic analysis with binocular was complemented with photographs taken with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at the Science and Technology Centres of the University of Barcelona. The objective was to specify taxonomical classification of small species which are very useful when dating and interpreting Upper Cretaceous palaeoenvironments. The analysis supported researchersʼ hypothesis about the sedimentary environment of A. hulki.
The new species was discovered in 2003 near the town of Orcau (Lleida, Spain). Remains include several parts of the skull, the spine, the pectoral girdle and forelimbs, which belonged to the same individual. They present some unique anatomical characteristics that enabled researchers, led by Alejandro Blanco, palaeontologist at ICP, to describe the new species. The combination of light skull, good sense of hearing and semi-erect posture suggests that A. hulki could conduct large incursions out of the water and have a semi-terrestrial lifestyle. Numerous dinosaur remains have been also found in the area. Therefore, predator-prey interactions could have happened between both animal groups.
Article reference: Blanco, A.; Fortuny, J.; Vicente, A.; Luján, À. H.; García-Marçà, J. A.; Sellés, A. G. “A new species of Allodaposuchus (Eusuchia, Crocodylia) from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Spain: phylogenetic and paleobiological implications”. PeerJ, August 2015. Doi: 10.7717/peerj.1171