Mourasuchus

Mourasuchus is an extinct genus of giant, aberrant caiman from the Miocene of South America. Its skull has been described as duck-like, being broad, flat, and very elongate, superficially resembling Stomatosuchus from the Late Cretaceous.

==History of discovery== Mourasuchus was first described by Price in 1964 based on a strange and nearly complete skull from the Solimões Formation of Amazonian Brazil, calling it Mourasuchus amazoniensis. Unaware of Price's discovery, Langston described "Nettosuchus" atopus ("Absurd Duck Crocodile") only a year later based on fragmentary cranial, mandibular and postcranial remains from the middle Miocene La Venta Lagerstätte, a part of the Honda Group. Although he did recognize its similarities to caimans and alligators, Langston reasoned that its bizarre anatomy warranted its own monotypic family, naming it Nettosuchidae. After being informed about the existence of Mourasuchus by Mr. W.D. Sills, Langston wrote a follow-up publication acknowledging his taxon to be a junior synonym of Mourasuchus.