Looks like we got ourselves a new itasuchid, Sissokosuchus from the Early Cretaceous of Mali.
Not the most complete, but nonetheless great to see the notosuchian record of Africa expanded
#paleontology

Quick recap of this guy seems in order because tho the material itself may not be the most impressive, theres some fascinating implications behind this guy.
#paleontology #notosuchia #sissokosuchus

Both of those are basal, but Sissokosuchus is actually a lot more derived. In any case this definitely helps build on Africa's Notosuchian record which so far consisted of candidodontids, mahajangasuchuds, uruguaysuchids and peirosaurids/peirosaurines but lacks other key groups

What's also cool, tho less tied to Sissokosuchus itself, is the geographic interpretation of the Continental Intercalaire of Mali. In short, its proposed that these sediments date to the Aptian to Albian and might be the downriver section of a larger west African river system

A new itasuchid (Crocodyliformes, Notosuchia) from the Early Cretaceous of Mali and the ancient Paleo-Tegama river system of Gondwana www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

[new taxon Sissokosuchus maliensis]

マリで見つかった前期白亜紀の新属新種のイタスクス科のワニ形類シッソコスクス・マリエンシス Sissokosuchus maliensis。
当時の河川の流れを復元し、その河川を介した南アメリカ-西アフリカ間の半水棲の動物の行き来について議論しています。
#とよけら論文紹介
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

First and foremost obviously the fact that this is an itasuchid from Africa. Itasuchids (or pepesuchines) are traditionally seen as a South American group, but there is mounting evidence for there being African forms such as Rukwasuchus and Stolokrosuchus
Art by Guilherme Gehr