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Stunning Phytosaur extinct prehistoric (and pre-dinosaur) reptile scute fossil in amazing display case.
A scute is a bony plate on the back of a reptile (like a crocodile).
This beautiful scute fossil is about 2\" x 3/4\".
The fossil was collected on the Chinle Formation in Arizona.
These fantastic reptiles were around before the dinosaurs! Over 200 million years old!
Extremely cool looking Phytosaur scute. Don\'t miss out on this one.
Fossil comes in a beautiful and unique Phytosaur display case that you will find nowhere else and includes a laminated information card.
All fossils sold are authentic and one-of-a-kind. No replicas.
Phytosaur, heavily armored semiaquatic reptiles found as fossils from the Late Triassic Period (about 229 million to 200 million years ago). Phytosaurs were not dinosaurs; rather both groups were archosaurs, a larger grouping that also includes crocodiles and pterosaurs (flying reptiles).
Phytosaurs were able to move about easily on land, and, although they were not ancestral to the crocodiles, they were distantly related and resembled crocodiles in appearance and probably in habits as well. The long, pointed jaws were armed with numerous sharp teeth, and it is probable that the phytosaurs preyed largely upon fishes. Like crocodiles, they had several rows of bony armor embedded in the skin along the back. The nostrils in the phytosaurs were set on a crest high on the skull in front of the eyes; this adaptation allowed them to float just underneath the water’s surface, with only the nostrils protruding above it.
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