0.9" Phytosaur Fossil Tail Vertebrae Bone Late Triassic Age Archosaur Chinle FM, AZ COA

Location: Chinle Formation, Arizona (Private Land Origin) 

Weight: 0.3 Ounces 

Dimensions: 0.9 Inches Long, 0.5 Inches Wide, 0.5 Inches Thick

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

The item pictured is the one you will receive.

Late Triassic 242 To 199 Million Years Old

Phytosaurs are an extinct group of large, semi-aquatic archosaurs from the Upper Triassic. They had long snouts and heavy armor, closely resembling modern crocodiles in size, appearance, and lifestyle. This similarity is an example of convergence or parallel evolution. The name 'phytosaur' means 'plant reptile' because the first fossils of phytosaurs were mistakenly thought to be from plant-eaters. The sharp teeth in phytosaur jaws clearly indicate they were predators. Although phytosaurs were not true crocodilians, they were more closely related to crocodilians than to other modern reptiles. Crocodiles did not become phytosaur-like until the Lower Jurassic. "Consensus generally places phytosaurs as basal crurotarsans, possibly the basal-most group." Rutiodon is an extinct genus of archosaur in the family Phytosauridae. It lived during the Late Triassic period and measured about 3 to 8 meters in length. Rutiodon is known from the eastern United States.