New Moroccan Fossil Reveals Unique Needle Teeth in 165-Million-Year-Old Crocodile Relative
Researchers have identified a new genus and species of thalattosuchian crocodylomorph, Ctenosuchus tenuidens, from the Middle Jurassic of eastern Morocco. Dated to approximately 165 million years ago, this animal possessed a unique dentition consisting of thin, needle-like teeth spaced roughly 2.3 mm apart, a configuration unlike any other known crocodile-line animal. The fossils, recovered from red mudstone deposits in the Talsint-Anoual area, suggest the predator specialized in consuming small aquatic prey such as fish and invertebrates. This discovery marks the only freshwater teleosauroid found in Gondwana and the second teleosaur species identified in the Jurassic of Morocco.