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Protodracosuchus sanies; Venomous Early Dragon Crocodile
Topic Started: May 2 2013, 07:12 PM (146 Views)
Jack Frost
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Genus: Protodracosuchus
Species: sanies
Name means: Venomous Early Dragon Crocodile

Stats:
Average size: 3-5 Feet long, 1-3 feet tall
Average weight: 10-15 pounds
Notable features: Small membrane of skin between the forelimbs and the hind limbs, venom glands that "Ooze" venom into bites
Location: What is now Patagonia and Brazil
Timeline: c. 185 MYA- 172 MYA

Description:
Superficially, Protodracosuchus resembles a caiman or small crocodile, albeit a bipedal one. Tends to be black or dark brown in color, with lighter stripes along then neck back and tail, where the stripes turn into light bands that slowly fade to white. Belly is cream colored. Arms are half as long as the legs, with a small membrane of skin running from the elbow to the half way up the upper leg. Hands are large, with wrists that are able to rotate freely. Small bony scutes along the neck back and tail. Along the last quarter of the tail, the scutes are raised, like modern crocodile. However, the tail remains rounded as opposed to flattened. Neck is slightly elongated and raised instead of being held straight. Head is triangular, with the upper jaw raised in the base and tapering down. Behind the eyes are two bulges, which store venom glands. Inside the roof of the upper jaw is a series of pores that ooze venom. Over the eyes are ridged crests that turn rusty red during the mating season.

Facts:
A small insectivore, Protodracosuchus is one of the forerunners to Dracosuchids, the crocodilian analogs to birds. Fully bipedal, they hunt along streams and forests for insects. Unlike most of its relatives, its hip shape is unique. Whereas rauisuchids have hips where the leg connects to the side of the hip in a pillar fashion, or the dinosaurs, where the legs connect under the hips, Protodracosuchus’ leg connects diagonally to the hip. This allows for a larger range of movement, making it far more agile than its competitors, as well as allowing it to climb trees far easier than most creatures of its time. In addition to this, it has another unique feature; a membrane of skin between its forelimbs and hind limbs, allowing it limited gliding abilities. It uses this, with its tail acting as a rudder, to glide after insects.

Protodracosuchus are highly unsocial, the only time they gather in large groups being the breeding season, and even then males with fight KILL rivals for females. The females will mate with as many males as they can to ensure impregnation, then flee, to avoid risking an accidental death, which does happen quite a bit. It's not unheard of to see females crushed underfoot by two males fighting. Females will build mounds of dirt and rotting foliage, not unlike modern crocodillians, where they will lay 10-20 eggs, each about the size of a grape, before burying them and leaving them to there fate. Young are born almost fully developed and able to fend for themselfs, although for the first year they stick together in a small pack to ensure survival. After that they split up to avoid infighting.

Protodracosuchus can and will hunt anything small enough for them to catch, although they prefer insects and small proto mammals. They DO have a secret weapon however when taking on larger prey; two venom glands. When biting on larger prey, they release this venom through pores in the roof of the mouth that oozes into the wound. The venom is a potent neurotoxin that targets the cardiac muscles, stopping the heart quickly and allowing the protodrachosuchus a quick and easy meal.
Edited by Jack Frost, Jan 30 2014, 10:11 PM.
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the dark phoenix
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the dark phoenix of wonderland
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so these are descended from crocodiles? How did that happen?
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DK1000
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the dark phoenix
May 2 2013, 10:14 PM
so these are descended from crocodiles? How did that happen?

Well it kinda depends on where Protodracosuchus fits phylogenetically, if it's a basal member of the clade dracosuchidae, there could be an evolutionary grade leading up to the clade (as with the grade "prestosuchidae" leading up to rauisuchidae). If it is not part of dracosuchidae proper, then it could fit into such a grade, occupying a place close to dracosuchids, or even serve as an offshoot splitting away from dracosuchids, much like Nyasasaurus is to dinosaurs. Frost of course will be the one to decide the exact phylogenetics of course, though.
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Jack Frost
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They aren't descended from them, THIS is what that line became in the project. Since Phytosaurs didn't die out in the time line, and THIS group was here, I saw a chance to give Dracosuchids there own group.
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DK1000
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Jack Frost
May 2 2013, 11:28 PM
They aren't descended from them, THIS is what that line became in the project. Since Phytosaurs didn't die out in the time line, and THIS group was here, I saw a chance to give Dracosuchids there own group.
So instead of "sphenosuchia" being an evolutionary grade towards crocodyliformes, it instead becomes a grade to the dracosuchid clade?
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the dark phoenix
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so alligators. caimans, crocodiles, and Gharials are gone?

ok
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DK1000
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I think it's worth noting that it wasn't just phytosaurs that filled the niches crocodylomorphs filled, mammals were their main competitors during our-Earth Mesozoic era. With the mammals remaining fairly prominent in MN-Earth, this keeps the crocodylomorphs from expanding to this niche too. This I think adds even more credibility to crocodylomorphs developing flight.
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the dark phoenix
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the dark phoenix of wonderland
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ok.....
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DK1000
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I'm rather curious about this diagonally-connecting hip joint, which sounds an awful lot like a sprawling posture. Is it supposed to be implied that the legs have a high degree of flexibility, i.e. being able to move from erect to out to the sides with ease? Or are they just stuck in the diagonal/(for all intents and purposes) sprawling posture?


Jack Frost
May 2 2013, 07:12 PM
Whereas rauisuchids have hips where the leg connects to the side of the hip in a pillar fashion, or the dinosaurs, where the legs connect under the hips, Protodracosuchus’ leg connects diagonally to the hip.

By the way, I think you mixed up the hip joints, going by the diagram rauisuchian hips connect under the hip, while dinosaur hip joints connect to the side of the hip, while the description above puts it the other way around.
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Jack Frost
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The idea is that the leg connection is like that of dinosaurs, but where the legs connect to the hips instead of being connected straight into it, it's angled diagonally downward. That gives the leg a great range of in and out movement, which is good considering it still needs to climb trees.
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