This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Tet Zoo regulars will remember the detailed montage I've produced that hopefully gives some idea of crocodylomorph diversity (Crocodylomorpha = the archosaur clade that includes modern crocodylians and all taxa closer to them than to croc-branch members of Archosauria like the aetosaurs and rauisuchians. Crocodylomorpha is basically equivalent to 'Crocodilia' of tradition; most members of the clade belong to Crocodyliformes [see links below for elaboration on this issue]). Thanks to Henry Peihong Tsai, I've taken to calling it the Crocopocalypse picture. In its 'parade' version, this illustration was featured here back in September 2012 (though with inaccurate metriorhynchoids that I later modified). Here it is again...
Incidentally, the image is also used as the background to the TetZoo podcast page. What? You didn't know that there's a TetZoo podcast? Well, now you do. It's joint-run by myself and John Conway; we seek sponsorship and listener feedback, and many thanks to those who have provided such thus far.
Anyway, I'm pleased to say that some people liked and appreciated the image so much so that they decided to incorporate it into a museum display. Specifically, the piece was used in the Florida Museum of Natural History's special Titanoboa exhibit in a panel devoted to dyrosaurids (a long-snouted Cretaceous-Paleogene crocodyliform clade). Here it is, courtesy of the museum (apologies for small size and low resolution, best I can do)...
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It's very neat to see one of my own images featuring in a museum display (it's not the first time this has happened, actually, but, hey, it's still neat). The Titanoboa exhibit (titled Titanoboa: Monster Snake) has been on display at Gainesville since January and will be there until August; do let me know if you go see it. Among other things, it features the awesome life-sized Titanoboa model you might have seen on TV or in the press. How I would love to see it in life.
If you're curious about where dyrosaurids seem to fit within crocodylomorph diversity, the simplified cladogram below shows the currently favoured position. They're not especially close to Crocodylia, the crocodylomorph crown-clade (the clade subtended by extant species)...
For previous Tet Zoo articles on crocodylomorphs fossil and modern, see...
The Saltwater crocodile, and all that it implies (crocodiles part III)
Crocodiles of New Guinea, crocodiles of the Philippines (crocodiles part IV)
The Freshie: Australian crocodile, seemingly from the north (crocodiles part V)
In pursuit of Early Cretaceous crocodyliforms in southern England: ode to Goniopholididae
