Crassigyrinus scoticus was a large aquatic predator known from the lower- to mid-Carboniferous period of Scotland and Canada.
Crassigyrinus scoticus lived in coal swamps of what is now Scotland and Canada during the Carboniferous period, between 350 and 330 million years ago.
“Crassigyrinus scoticus would have been around 2-3 m long, which was quite big for the time,” said first author Dr. Laura Porro, a paleontologists at University College London and the University of Bristol.
“It would probably have behaved in a way similar to modern crocodiles, lurking below the surface of the water and using its powerful bite to grab prey.”
First described in 1929, Crassigyrinus scoticus is one of the most bizarre and enigmatic early tetrapods.
It had an unusual morphology, which featured a mixture of primitive and derived characters.
“Previous reconstructions, based on five incomplete and deformed specimens, have suggested a tall skull with a short and broad snout, large orbits and external nares, and an extended postorbital region,” the authors said.
“In our study, we scanned four specimens using computed tomography and segmented imaging data to separate bone from matrix and individual bones from each other.”
Based on the new data, they presented a revised description of the upper and lower jaws, including morphology and abundant new anatomical information.
They were able to create a hypothetical 3D reconstruction of Crassigyrinus scoticus’ skull that is flatter than earlier reconstructions, yet still morphologically unique amongst early tetrapods.
Their new results suggest that Crassigyrinus scoticus was a powerful aquatic predator capable of hunting and subduing large prey.
“This animal has previously been reconstructed with a very tall skull, similar to a Moray eel, based on the type specimen in Edinburgh which has been flattened from side-to-side,” Dr. Porro said.
“However, when I tried to mimic that shape with the digital surface from CT…
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