Creature information | |
Scientific name : | Rutiodon carolinensis |
Time period : | Late Triassic |
Primary diet : | Carnivore |
In the documentary |
Rutiodon ("Wrinkle tooth") is an extinct genus of archosaur belonging to the family Phytosauridae. It lived during the Late Triassic period, and was about 3 to 8 meters (10 to 25 ft) in length. Rutiodon is known from the eastern United States like North Carolina, New York and New Jersey. Like other phytosaurs, Rutiodon strongly resembled a crocodile, but its nostrils were positioned far back on the head, close to the eyes, instead of at the tip of the snout. It had enlarged front teeth, and a relatively narrow jaw, somewhat resembling that of a modern gharial. This suggests that this carnivore probably caught fish and it may also have snatched land animals from the waterside. Also, like modern crocodiles, its back, flanks, and tail were covered with bony armored plates.
In When Dinosaurs Roamed America[]
In the late Triassic segment, a Rutiodon approaches a Coelophysis from underneath the water. As it leaps out the water, the Coelophysis narrowly dodges the attack. The Rutiodon returns to the water as the Coelophysis stands a distance away before returning to the forest. Later, a confrontation between a Rutiodon and a Desmatosuchus happens and the Rutiodon leaves the really well armored reptile alone. Later, the same Coelophysis then runs off again to the river where a Rutiodon is basking on the bank before it re-enters the water. The Coelophysis then leaves the area.