Phytosauridae

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family of extinct, crocodile-like reptiles from the Late Triassic period characterized by long snouts and semi-aquatic habits; members resembled modern crocodiles but were unrelated archosaurian reptiles; known for their unique skull and jaw structure used for hunting aquatic prey
2. An extinct group of Triassic archosaur reptiles resembling crocodiles with elongated jaws and armor-like skin; they lived primarily in freshwater environments and displayed convergent evolution with modern crocodilians; their fossils provide insight into prehistoric ecosystems
3. A taxonomic family of prehistoric reptiles from the Late Triassic resembling crocodilians with elongated rostrums and robust bodies; members inhabited aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats and are distinguished by distinct cranial features; considered important for studying reptile evolution and ancient biomes

Etymology: Phytosaurs were long mistaken for crocodilians, and the family name preserves an early misidentification. It is formed from "Phytosaurus," a genus named in 1828 by the German naturalist Georg Friedrich Jaeger from Triassic fossils found in Germany. The Greek elements mean "plant lizard," though it is unclear why Jaeger chose that name, and these animals were predatory, mostly fish-eating reptiles. The ending "-idae" is the standard zoological suffix for a family, built on the type genus. The clearest clue to their true identity is their nostrils. In crocodilians the external nostrils sit at the tip of the snout, but in phytosaurs they were set far back, close to the eyes. That arrangement, along with other skull features, shows that the resemblance to crocodiles was a case of convergent evolution rather than close kinship.