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, 0.3 Inches Wide, 0.3 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 exemplify nature's remarkable capacity for convergent evolution—these imposing Triassic archosaurs independently developed a crocodilian body plan despite their distant phylogenetic relationship to true crocodilians. The etymology "plant reptile" reflects an early paleontological misconception; their formidable dentition definitively establishes their role as apex predators. These heavily plated, long-snouted reptiles dominated semi-aquatic niches throughout the Upper Triassic before crocodilians eventually occupied similar ecological positions in the Jurassic. Rutiodon, a prominent member of the Phytosauridae family, ranged from 3 to 8 meters in length and inhabited Late Triassic waterways of eastern North America. This tooth specimen preserves evidence of a sophisticated predatory lineage, offering collectors a tangible connection to a pivotal moment in reptilian evolutionary history.