Cochleosaurus

Cochleosaurus Temporal range: Moscovian 310 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Skull in Vienna
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	†Temnospondyli
Family:	†Cochleosauridae
Subfamily:	†Cochleosaurinae
Genus:	†Cochleosaurus Fritsch, 1885
Species
†C. bohemicus Fritsch, 1885 (type) †C. florensis Rieppel, 1980

Cochleosaurus ('spoon lizard') is a name of a tetrapod belonging to Temnospondyli, which lived during the late Carboniferous period (Moscovian, about 310 millions years ago). The great abundance of its remains (about 50 specimens) have been found in the Czech Republic, near Nýřany in Central Europe and in Nova Scotia in North America. It was a creature of medium size, measuring 120-160 centimeters. It is believed that Cochleosaurus was a semi-aquatic ambush predator, hunting like modern crocodiles. Czech paleontologist Antonin Fritsch named the genus in 1885 in reference to the spoon-shaped processes on the supra-occipital bones at the back of the skull (from Latin cochlear "spoon" and Greek sauros "lizard").

Restoration

Cochleosaurus bohemicus skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin

References

• http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=37001&is_real_user=0
• http://www.palaeos.com/Paleozoic/Carboniferous/Moscovian.htm
• http://www.palaeos.com/Vertebrates/Units/160Temnospondyli/100.html#Euskelia
• Fritsch, A. (1885), Fauna der Gaskohle und der Kalksteine der Permformation Bohmens. vol. 2, Prague, 107 pp.