Desmatosuchus spurensis

“ The work of art is a stuffed crocodile. ”

– Alfred Jarry

Desmatosuchus spurensis is an extinct species of archosaur belonging to the Order Aetosauria. It lived during the Late Triassic.

Physiology
Desmatosuchus looked like its relatives, possessing an armored body and pig-like head. It had a shovel-like snout and weak teeth that suggest it lived by uprooting soft plants. Like many of its relatives, it had heavy armoured plates along its back, tail, and parts of the underside. However, unlike most other aetosaurs, Desmatosuchus also had two rows of spikes along the sides of its back. The largest spikes, above the shoulders, were 45 centimetres (18 in) long. These probably gave it extra protection against predators.

The forelimbs were much shorter than the hindlimbs, with humeri less than two-thirds the length of the femurs. The pelvic girdle consisted of a long pubis with a strong symphysis in the middle, a plate-like ischium, a highly recurved ilium, and a deep, imperforate acetabulum. The femurs were relatively long and straight, the ankles crurotarsal, with calcaneal tubers that gave it large heels.

Abilities
Desmatosuchus, however, also possessed two rows of spikes down the sides of its back, in contrast to the majority of other aetosaurs. Above the shoulders, the longest spikes measured 45 centimeters (18 inches). These most likely provided it with additional defense against predators.

Ecology
This diet is suggested by the presence of peg like teeth that were best suited for stripping off fronds of fern-like vegetation.‭ ‬Not only is Desmatosuchus one of‭ ‬the better known of its group but at up to five meters long it was one of the largest.

Bones and armor pieces of Desmatosuchus are abundant in the Dockum formation, Chinle formation, and Post quarry, indicating that they were widespread and abundant during the Late Triassic. It is possible that Desmatosuchus traveled in herds or family units. This is evidenced by several findings of multiple Desmatosuchus skeletons in relatively small areas. It has also been suggested that Desmatosuchus could have been omnivorous or even an insectivore. This is because of several similarities between Desmatosuchus and armadillos. For instance, both groups are armored.

Behavior
Desmatosuchus are friendlier and calmer. When threatened, all they do is flee. It comes out that the Desmatosuchus developed aggressive behavior and began attacking any threat, even poachers.

Distribution and Habitat
The first Desmatosuchus discovery occurred in the late 19th century when E.D. Cope classified armor from the Dockum Group in Texas, USA, as the new species Episcoposaurus haplocerus. Since the localities of Cope and Case were only a few kilometers apart, the two taxa were synonymized into Desmatosuchus haplocerus, the initial type species of the genus.

References

• fossil.fandom.com/wiki/Desmato…
  
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmatos…
  
• www.azquotes.com/quote/385252?…
  

This drawing was made by Ognimdo2002