0.5" Phytosaur Fossil Tooth Triassic Age Archosaur Redonda FM NM COA & Display

Location: Redonda Formation, New Mexico (Private Land Origin) 

Weight: 0.2 Ounces 

Dimensions: 0.5 Inches Long, 0.4 Inches Wide, 0.2 Inches Thick

Comes with a free Display.

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

The item pictured is the one you will receive.

This is a real fossil.

Late Triassic 242 To 199 Million Years Old

Phytosaurs were formidable semi-aquatic archosaurs that dominated Upper Triassic waterways, exhibiting striking morphological similarities to crocodilians through convergent evolution rather than direct descent. Phylogenetic consensus positions these reptiles as basal crurotarsans, predating the rise of true crocodilians by millions of years. The misnomer "phytosaur" ("plant reptile") reflects early paleontological misinterpretation; their sharp dentition definitively establishes them as apex predators. Rutiodon, a Late Triassic genus from the Phytosauridae family, ranged across eastern North American fluvial systems and achieved lengths of 3 to 8 meters. Though not true crocodilians, phytosaurs shared a closer phylogenetic affinity with crocodilians than with other extant reptilian lineages. This specimen exemplifies the sophisticated predatory adaptations of these extinct archosaurs and their ecological prominence during the Mesozoic.