Recycling one of my favorite #megafauna--the king #amphibian--mastodonsaurus! I was delighted to find one in the American Museum of Natural History last week. #Mastodonsaurus was the largest amphibian to ever live, and dominated European rivers about 250-200 million years ago.

Mastodonsaurus is not related to modern crocodiles, but it likely filled a similar role. Its little legs were likely too weak to support its hefty on land, meaning mastodonsaurus was aquatic. However, it was well-suited to the murky waters of Triassic European rivers, with nostrils that allowed it to breathe air while the rest of it was fully submerged, and with the ability to sense pressure waves from nearby swimming prey.

And there is little doubt that it did catch its prey, since its skull supported strong muscles and many, pointy teeth--including two elongated front tusks that poked out through the top of its head!

Mastodonsaurus was likely an apex predator due to its size--it could grow up to 20 feet long, with 1/6 of that length in its head. Such a large skull would have required mastodonsaurus to tilt its head all the way back in order to fully open its mouth.

Me pareció bonito eso de las "profesionessaurias", en mastodon no jugamos a eso porque este el Mastodonosaurio se ve así:
#mastodonsaurus #mastodonosaurio

Mastodonsaurus and Weasel, liquid graphite, from 2020

#art #mastoart #mastodon #mastodonsaurus #prehistory #drawing

Today's #megafauna is #mastodonsaurus, the largest #amphibian to ever live! This late-Triassic beast could reach over 19 feet in length and had a 4-foot long skull. This massive head also featured two holes in the upper jaw through which elongated tusks from the lower jaw could poke.

Mastodonsaurus's giant head and its upwards-facing eyes suggest that it spent its life underwater. In addition, #fossils have been found grouped in a way that suggests they died together as their ponds dried out.

@christopher
That’s #mastodonsaurus, not a #mastodon!

A mastodon is an ancient mammut and therefor looks like an elephant.

There’re about 200 million years between mastodonsaurus and mastodon.