Description
Brachychampsa Alligatoroid
- Brachychampsa sp.
- Cretaceous Age
- Judith River Formation
- Montana
- This well preserved rooted tooth measures 9.1mm long and will come in a 1.25″ gem jar
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Brachychampsa is an extinct genus of alligatoroid, possibly a basal caiman. In the case of this freshwater, carnivorous reptile it is among the very earliest alligatoroids known to science. Furthermore the first Brachychampsa fossil was discovered in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation. In this case rocks that were laid down near the end of the Cretaceous period.
The genus first appeared during the late Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous ( Judithian North American stage). Later it became extinct during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Cretaceous ( Lancian North American Land Mammal “Age”). Furthermore, Brachychampsa is distinguished by an enlarged fifth maxillary tooth in the upper jaw.
Finally, this alligatoroid grew to lengths of 8-10 feet long
Fossil specimen in the Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction.
