Scolomastax, a new omnivorous crocodilian from Cretaceous Texas

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A new genus of crocodilian has been described from Cretaceous age remains from the Arlington Archosaur Site in the Woodbine Formation near Dallas, Texas. The new genus has been given the name Scolomastax sahlsteini ("Sahlstein's pointed jaw"), with the genus name originating from the Greek words "scolos," meaning "pointed," and "mastax," meaning "jaw," in reference to the pointed, v-shaped jaw of the new genus, and the species name originating from Arthur Sahlstein, the co-discoverer of the Arlington Archosaur Site who discovered the remains of this genus. The new genus was about three to six feet in length and its right lower jaw had fewer teeth than related crocodilians, with those teeth coming in several different shapes. The shape and number of the teeth of this genus suggest that it may have been omnivorous, as these traits are commonly seen in living animals that crunch on hard food or eat a varied diet. Interestingly, Scolomastax is classified as a paralligatorid, a group best known from Asia, making it the first member of the group ever found in Appalachian deposits. This suggests that animals in Asia and North America intermingled in the early Cretaceous before the Western Interior Seaway split North America in two. The new genus provides a further look at the diversity of the Arlington Archosaur Site, which records a rare Appalachian river delta. This site has provided remains of several reptilian genera, with a large hall of further remains yet to be described. Here is a reconstruction of the new genus by paleoartist Brenton Adrian and a link to the paper describing it.



Paper (abstract only): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.24174

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That's a cool find, and a lovely piece of artwork.