Paralligator

Paralligator is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodylomorph that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Maastrichtian) period in what is now the Bayan Shireh and Nemegt formations of Mongolia, approximately 96 million to 70 million years ago. P. gradilifrons reached up to 4 m (13 ft) in length.^[1][2]

Paralligator Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, ~96–70 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
P. gradilifrons and P. major skulls from the Bayan Shireh Formation
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Crocodylomorpha
Clade:	Neosuchia
Family:	†Paralligatoridae
Genus:	†Paralligator
Type species
†Paralligator gradilifrons Konzhukova, 1954
Other species
†P. ancestralis Efimov, 1981 †P. major Efimov, 1981
Synonyms
Shamosuchus tersus Efimov, 1983 Shamosuchus ulanicus Efimov, 1983 Shamosuchus ulgicus Efimov, 1981

Taxonomy

Life restoration of P. gradilifrons

Two species are recognized:^[3]

• Paralligator gradilifrons Konzhukova, 1954^[4]
• Paralligator major Efimov, 1981^[5]

Misassigned species

"Paralligator" sungaricus, described from the Early Cretaceous Nenjiang Formation of Jilin Province, China, is based on postcranial remains consisting of a few presacral vertebrae, dorsal osteoderms, a partial left femur, and the proximal part of a left tibia and fibula.^[6][7] However, the type material is too fragmentary to be considered diagnostic, and the species is a nomen dubium.^[3] Turner (2015) also referred P. ancestralis a junior subjective synonym of P. gradilifrons.^[3]