Brachiosuchus - The Crocodiles That Didn't Skip Arm Day

[@McZebraCakes]

Ancient Crocodilomorphs really just went "fuck it, we ball", and convergently evolved into literally every imaginable niche.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

The amount of different body plans the group tried out evolutionarily is nothing short of amazing.

[@WeAreInYourWall]

Crocussy confirmed. 😏

[@elmochomo8218]

Common W Archosaurs

[@zweihander7309]

Ye they even evolved into a bipedal bill gates, crazy (sorry couldn't help it)

[@Peusterokos1]

​@@zweihander7309 damn, good for them! Unlike the lizardfolks, I welcome our archosaurian overlords.

[@rayhanmustakim7073]

Crocodilomorps when there's a empty niche : It's a free real estate.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Filling that stuff super fast, lol.

[@WeAreInYourWall]

@@HenrythePaleoGuythat’s what she said.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

;)

[@TotallyACat]

5:06 - This is the ideal Brachiosuchus body. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.

[@rileyernst9086]

It's the most heavily armed croc I have ever seen.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Very true, haha.

[@SuperBetaBuxbros.]

Suchomimus ? Deinochirus

[@tahliam7377]

The entire crocidilian group gives me 'God's overpowered OC' vibes and this guy does not change my mind.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Definitely a big bias, haha. They have so many top-tier adaptations.

[@melvinshine9841]

2:39 - 2:50 I love that they used Steve Irwin for a comparison. Okay, the image at 6:28 is hilarious. It's interesting that it has such long forelimbs, yet would've been ungainly on land. The slender skull hints at it primarily feeding on smaller fish, despite how huge the animal is, but I can't think of a good reason for arms to be so disproportionally long.

[@millie-mayprice891]

Re: the importance of paleo artists.... hard agree. Paleo art is the magic spell that turns children into paleontologists. Fossils and science are cool.... But a badass painting of a scene from millions of years ago showing them as real animals doing real animal stuff? Or a show like walking with dinosaurs (which is arguably just hours and hours of moving pale art)... That's where the fascination and the joy and the love starts, for many people anyway.

[@patreekotime4578]

The illustration of it walking along the bottom of a river was really cool. It makes me wonder if these lineages had continued if eventually the rear legs would have become completely vestigial like in whales and manatees.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Hard to say really. Reptiles have quite different base locomotory capabilities compared to mammals, especially in how they move in the water, so they would likely keep them as some form of balance and for fine movements. I'll get back to you on if there's more I can find on this, since I remember reading up on this recently. :)

[@stevepalpatine2828]

That's probably how Mosasaurs and (magical) Liopleurodons happened.

[@noobsplaybest6883]

Skull crawler crock sounds amazing.

[@SuperBetaBuxbros.]

Cetacean croc

[@Cancoillotteman]

Now i want a montage of of Brachiosuchus motivating T Rex to THICK THOSE ARMS

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

*Anime montage ensues*

[@flightlesslord2688]

of course, of course there was, in the insane variety of ancient crocs, one who could slap box. That or it was adapted for giving hugs. Seems a cool guy.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

The ancient past has so much to offer!

[@darchandarchan7036]

Croc with long arms definitely belongs to “scientific images that look like shitposts”

[@AncientAnimalAtlas]

How does a Brachiosuchus cheer up its friends? By giving them a "lift" to the treetops for a view and then a splash in the river for a swim-talk about a mood booster! 😎

[@dukecity7688]

Was that Steve Irwin measuring that croc? Beautiful art.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Sure is! Will never be forgotten. :)

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

Brachiosuchus is one of my favorite prehistoric crocs and am so glad you did amazing video on it

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Likewise! I was completely blown away seeing them for the first time. Glad so many are now learning about them through my video. :)

[@gl15col]

This critter may have been on the road to turning front limbs into paddles and back limbs into fins for steering, if they'd survived a couple more million years along with flexible tail. They seemed to be caught in the middle of making a shift of some kind, as they were not perfectly suited to water or land.

[@huitzilinf_art]

2:26 🤯🤯🤯 I DID IT! I MADE IT! Thank you for the credit!

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

It's a pleasure to feature your art! You do a really great job with the texturing that always makes me happy. :) Keep up the great work!

[@huitzilinf_art]

​@@HenrythePaleoGuy Thank you very much!

[@dinohall2595]

Great video, and I wholeheartedly agree with the last point about paleoart. Creating a visual depiction of an extinct animal that's both scientifically accurate and engaging to viewers is an impressive talent that too often goes underappreciated. I know I always remember an extinct animal I learn about a little more vividly when there's a striking image of it living life in its natural habitat.

[@RheaMainz]

5:11 is the posture of a crocodile who _skipped every_ arm day

[@joaosenra2775]

Dyrosaurids in general suffers from lack of paleoarts, illustrations and Paleomedia representation in general.They're a very obscure clade of Crocodyliforms that survived the K-Pg extinction and was quite diverse. Brachiosuchus is one of the most spectacular findings of the recent years. I hope shows like Prehistoric Planet give some screentime to them.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

They absolutely deserve so much more attention than what they've so far got. I hope to cover more of them down the line where possible. :) Unfortunately there are a ton of other animal groups just like them that I hope to get to soon. :)

[@sassa82]

Great video!🎉

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Thank you so much for watching! :)

[@Velkhana_The_Myth]

Do you have a episode on Metriorhynchus, the fish-croc?

[@jasonsantos3037]

Interesting about Crocodile with longer limbs.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

It really is! Thanks for watching!

[@rickharold7884]

Cool. and yes supports the artists!!!

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

They certainly are! So many amazing artists to feature, and it's always such a great feeling to know so many more people know of them and their craft. :)

[@TastyIsaac_real]

Crocodilians terrify me by their sheer adaptability

[@minted1841]

Cool. Heading to 100,000 subscribers . Looking forward to KIWI when you get there :)

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

The video has already gathered 48 subscribers, and then another 36 from people checking out other videos, so it's certainly getting there slowly but surely! Will keep up with the uploads. Looking forward to Kiwi time too! :)

[@minted1841]

Way to go. Onwards & upwards :)

[@meonkrishnanan5920]

95 million years old Imagine the experiences hidden in the DNA... imagine what their (modern crocs) ancestors have seen? What they've FELT

[@SlothOfTheSea]

Brachiosuchus in water: A terrifying reptile with oddly long forelimbs, giving an eerie, skinwalker-like appearance. Brachiosuchus on land: A pancake

[@dan240393]

I wonder if it used the arms to navigate reefs or mangroves. Looks weird outside of water. But sensible if you need to be constantly pushing and pulling on rocks/roots.

[@N.Sniper]

Large forelimbs is something also seen with sea turtles.

[@williambeckett6336]

Seems built to grapple prey into the water rather than drag it in with its jaws. Once in the water of course they'd have the crocodilian advantage. The arms appear to me as the snare mechanism. Or they could be highly specialized lunging mechanisms.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Unfortunately we don't have the digits, but if their relatives are anything to go by, that's pretty doubtful. There is one explanation for the large arms that I've noticed that was really intriguing, so I'll be sharing that as a short soon. :)

[@leobuana7430]

the jaw shape don't really fit for prey that need grapling

[@varanid9]

Huh, I wonder if they looked into the possibility that those forelimbs were from a carcass it had ingested and not its own.

[@HassanMohamed-rm1cb]

Hey Henry The PaleoGuy, why don’t you get to think of a suggestion and creating a KZbin Videos all about the Amphicyons (Bear Dogs) coming up next?!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍👍👍👍👍

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

It is down on my notes list for future videos. :) A lot to cover of course, so it will take a while!

[@BarelyDecentProduction]

I like that many channels still used Steve Irwin as the silhouette whenever they're talking about an ancient crocodilian

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

It's a classic, time-honoured tradition. :)

[@primrosevale1995]

I love that we know technically have two ‘arm lizards’ now.

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Kind of, haha. Only 'suchus' in place of 'saurus'. :)

[@monke_with_da_banan_]

Epic!

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

They really are!

[@maozilla9149]

nice video

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Thanks my dude! These guys were really wacky crocodile relatives! :)

[@maozilla9149]

your welcome@@HenrythePaleoGuy

[@graphite2786]

Until we find more specimens ( we only have one) it's very hard to come to a plausible conclusion regarding the forelimbs. Because the cranium is very gracile, it was obviously adapted to smaller, fast moving prey- fish and squid. The fore limbs weren't paddlelike but we don't have the hands.They could have been large and webbed - like a duck or frog. This would suggest they were for locomotion- swimming. However if the hands were blunt and clawed, digging (food? nest?) stabilisation on turbulent shores or even a consequence of sexual selection ( fighting for dominance? Mate /territory guarding? An indicator of genetic fitness? Supernormal stimulus?)could all be possible candidates.

[@Relyt345]

I like your point about paleoart. I enjoy how it stimulates me to imagine what it would feel like to come face to face with an animal. Being in the water and seeing that thing swimming would be horribly terrifying.. I’d be hoping it doesn’t like the smell of shit

[@shinaniganz4453]

I think they did it solely to mock on theropods small arms

[@jsmoothd654]

I love prehistoric creatures that share parts of other creatures names. I’m picturing a crocodile with Brachiosaurus’s head

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I've noted it a few times when people just assume I'm talking about the dinosaur. Would be one crazy looking animal for sure!

[@qwikscopez6619]

Hell yeah dude, i played against u in pokemon showdown once, effective marketing

[@GraniteGhost778]

wait, did he say that cetiosaurs are still living? or am I hearing the wrong animal name?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

At what timestamp?

[@GraniteGhost778]

@@HenrythePaleoGuyat 4 minutes. Which 'still living' animal group did you say there? I may be mishearing.

[@HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke]

@@GraniteGhost778 "Sea turtles"

[@GraniteGhost778]

@@HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke that makes much more sense.

[@HeyHeyHarmonicaLuke]

@@GraniteGhost778 After you primed my mind, all I could hear was cetiosaurs too :) I solved it by noticing a sentence in the wikipedia page they are paraphrasing: "The enlarged forearms are a unique adaptation amongst crocodyliforms, drawing parallels to sauropterygians, plesiosaurs and sea turtles."

[@praetorianrex5571]

Any fossil animals that are suspected or confirmed to generate bio electricity?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I don't believe so, no.

[@conkle7955]

The croc doesn't look like needs a hand. He looks like the type to keep people at arm's length.

[@Dinoramascuplts-Tyrex]

Is it possible it hunted like a bear or quad-heron?

[@praetorianrex5571]

If a reptile with arms like this could punch, what would the digits look like? 🤔

[@fahdrightone7428]

Brachiosuchus was given the right bear arms. And then a little more as well.

[@brianroberts783]

I have a crazy idea. Perhaps the longer arms developed in brachiosuchus due to sexual selection. Perhaps they used push-up contests to determine dominance and compete for mates, a behavior which has been observed in various extant reptiles. That could result in individuals with longer arms having higher mating success, pushing the species to develop such abnormally long forelimbs. It should be noted, I'm neither a paleontologist nor an evolutionary biologist, so no need to take this seriously or assign any credibility to it. I'm just a guy who thought the mental image of a crocodile doing push-ups was hilarious.

[@erichtomanek4739]

Given how stable Sudan is, it's highly irresponsible to ship them "back". I hope at least lots and lots and lots of physical and digital copies are made of excellent quality and forwarded to as many institutions and private collections around the world.

[@vladline1882]

Imagine Brachioceratops long armed ceratopsian lmao

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Now that would be a damn cool animal!

[@Random_guy12-k9c]

Now I am wondering, is he a pro arm wrestler?

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

Do walking with Beasts And walking with monsters

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I look forward to covering them when I'm able. :)

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy ok!

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

@@pedrogabrielduarte4544 I will say I do apologise for the slowness of videos lately, and that's down to me getting used to a new kind of schedule that I'm so far getting to grips with. I aim to get them down sooner or later though. :)

[@pedrogabrielduarte4544]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy so do it!

[@chazdoomy1512]

Could this thing have been bipedal?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

If they were, they would certainly be among the most unusual animals ever, haha. They'd be like a living Dr Livesey edit.

[@purplehaze2358]

If there's any marine reptile that could survive the KT mass extinction, it'd definitely be a crocodilian lmao

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

It's really great that them as a whole managed to. A shame the dyrosaurids went extinct so soon afterwards, but they had a good run.

[@GeorgeTheDinoGuy]

This crocodilian is my gym bro, I wonder if they went extinct due to performance enhancing invertebrates xD

[@raulpinto7543]

Perhaps an arboreal croc presenting convergent adaptations similar to the modern-day gibbon? 😂😂

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

There is some pretty funny art of that, lol. Will have to refind it. :)

[@E44-v4z]

Completely unrelated question, but have you ever heard of Team Fortress 2?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

I played it once way back in 2017, though my computer barely handled it, and I unfortunately haven't picked it up since. I had heard of it years beforehand though. :)

[@E44-v4z]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy is good👍

[@darkiler6663]

Skull crawlers almost had evolve

[@benzina7]

Dynosaurus.

[@duncan7593]

2:48 Tucker Carlson for scale

[@tahliam7377]

Skip to 0.51 to hear Henry's beatboxing audition tape.

[@hatsudopia5085]

We should try and look at living fossils as recognizable as their moder day counterparts not identical.

[@benjiramirez7712]

Ok it’s not the original guy but this guy is definitely more of the vibe for this channel. I fuck with this narrator

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

My voice has changed quite a bit over the years, haha. I assume that's what you're referring to?

[@benjiramirez7712]

@@HenrythePaleoGuy NO SHOT BRO MY BAD DAWG FUCK LMAOOO I REMEMBER WHEN YOU SOUNDED LIKE FROM LIKE A FEW YEARS AGO DOG NEVERMIND I APPROVE

[@Hasone12543]

When he talks: ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[@resfar69]

your voice is so god damn whistley

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Just how my current microphone picks stuff up. I aim to improve where I can though.

[@Velkhana_The_Myth]

Do you have a episode on Metriorhynchus, the fish-croc?

[@HenrythePaleoGuy]

Not just yet, but I will sometime in the future. :)