Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
371 / Paleozoic
Rhinesuchus
Rhinesuchus whaitsi
This broad-headed aquatic predator was common in southern Late Permian waters.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 259–252 million years ago
- Final stage
- End of the Permian
- Geographic range
- Rivers and ponds · Karoo Basin, South Africa
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Rhinesuchus?
Rhinesuchus (Rhinesuchus whaitsi) was an extinct organism known from About 259–252 million years ago, with a range in Rivers and ponds · Karoo Basin, South Africa.
Life and ecology
Rhinesuchus waited on the bottom for fish and animals near the bank.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Rhinesuchus disappear?
Anoxia, drying and food-web collapse during the end-Permian extinction are the likely setting for the end of its lineage; a species-level cause is not established.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Rhinesuchus?
Skulls and skeletons across growth stages document ossification and pre-extinction populations.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS