Biology:Alligator mefferdi

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Short description: Extinct species of alligator

Alligator mefferdi
Temporal range: Miocene, 13.8–10.3 Ma[1]
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Archosauromorpha
Clade: Archosauriformes
Order: Crocodilia
Family: Alligatoridae
Subfamily: Alligatorinae
Genus: Alligator
Species:
A. mefferdi
Binomial name
Alligator mefferdi
C.C. Mook, 1946

Alligator mefferdi is an extinct species of alligator described by Charles Craig Mook. They lived in the Miocene period, and their range was principally in what is now Nebraska, United States .[2][3] The type specimen was discovered in the Ash Hollow Formation at Ash Hollow State Historical Park.[2]

Classification

A. mefferdi is a member of the subfamily Alligatorinae, within the larger family Alligatoridae. Phylogenetic studies have found A. mefferdi to be most closely related to the living American alligator.[4][1]

Measurements

The average measurements for the skull of A. mefferdi are 298 x 170 millimeters. Based on the length, the estimated body mass was 34.6 kg.[2]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q104830573 entry