Stomatosuchidae

Stomatosuchidae is an extinct family of Cretaceous crocodyliforms known from fragmentary fossils, including the long-snouted North African genus Stomatosuchus.

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Crocodyliformes: Crocodyliformes is the group of crocodile-line archosaurs that includes living crocodilians and their extinct relatives. Stomatosuchidae is classified within this broader crocodile-line group.
Stomatosuchus: Stomatosuchus is a genus of giant, long-snouted Cretaceous crocodyliform known from North Africa. It is the family's best-known member and the source of its distinctive profile.
Crocodyliform skull: A crocodyliform skull is the bony structure enclosing the brain and supporting the jaws, teeth, and sensory organs. Stomatosuchid classification and feeding hypotheses rely heavily on skull shape.
Crocodyliform phylogeny: Crocodyliform phylogeny is the study of evolutionary relationships among crocodyliforms. Different interpretations of scarce anatomical characters can alter the family's placement.
Cretaceous: The Cretaceous is the final geological period of the Mesozoic Era, spanning about 145 to 66 million years ago. The known stomatosuchids lived during this period.
Laganosuchus: Laganosuchus is a genus of Cretaceous crocodyliform described from fossils in Niger and Morocco. It is another North African form associated with the family.
Crocodyliform dentition: Crocodyliform dentition is the varied arrangement and form of teeth found across crocodile-line reptiles. Tooth evidence can distinguish feeding strategies, but is poorly known in Stomatosuchus.
Fossil taphonomy: Fossil taphonomy studies the processes that affect organisms between death and discovery as fossils. Preservation and loss of bones help explain why stomatosuchid anatomy is so incomplete.
Crocodylomorpha: Crocodylomorpha is the archosaur lineage containing crocodilians and their extinct close relatives. This larger lineage provides the evolutionary context for crocodyliforms.
Bahariya Formation: The Bahariya Formation is a Cretaceous rock unit in Egypt known for fossils of dinosaurs and other vertebrates. Its deposits yielded the type specimen of Stomatosuchus.