Vancleavea: An Odd Aquatic Reptile From The Triassic Period

[@-insertnamehere-5503]

Triassic animals were the peak of evolution. Just the right amount of cool forms mixed with funny and derpy faces. That is a fact

[@MV_Koron]

You: *carefully explain what we know about this animal* Me: This is a Triassic otter!

[@arthurix1705]

Or maybe a triassic seal 😅

[@kategod]

i look at this animal over and over, seeing it lived in freshwater environments, squat boxy head, lil legs... guessing this thing filled a niche like a river otter. even similar sizes.

[@dinohall2595]

Every time I think I've seen it all from paleo-KZbin, this channel consistently surprises me with another new and interesting prehistoric creature I never knew about, and now can't imagine a life where I don't know about it. Keep up the good work! 👍

[@chimerasuchus]

Thank you. I am glad you enjoy the videos.

[@M_11_m41n]

I always shock people about Triassic wildlife when I work at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

[@Gildedmuse]

By jumping out at them with a Lystrosaurus's skull? "Rawr!"

[@jesper112183]

I love that museum! I wish I could volunteer or work somewhere like that. So many interesting and knowledgeable people in one place!

[@M_11_m41n]

@@jesper112183 You would have to talk to museum services about that.

[@OzarkAnarchist26]

That has to be an amazing job

[@CRANTIME]

I didn't know this thing existed until now and he's immediately a big favourite. I absolutely adore the shape of him

[@MaryAnnNytowl]

That fenstra is freaking weird. 😳 Not that the whole critter wasn't weird, mind you, but the crazy difference in the skull is almost shocking!

[@brandonaldaymachuse6669]

I love these videos...when I'm laying in bed and trying to sleep or wake up, these give a cozy, comfortable vibe.

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

Another really epic video about some more unqiue prehistoric reptiles

[@FangsALot]

Another great video! Love to see the lesser known reptile groups and species being covered Keep up the great work!

[@bibia666]

Great vid👍 Good content 👍 Greetings bibia 👍

[@EnbyNomad]

Great vid as always, every upload I hope it'll be a vid about parasaurolophus/ other hadrosaurs as there's not many videos about them

[@DoodersDen]

Okay I don't know if I'm alone in this but I'm of the opinion rhat the triassic has to be the coolest time of eaeth for reptiles in general, as there's just so many bizzare reptiles unlike anything else !!Ackk what I wouldn't give to see these guys in life! The fenestra setup on hey had was so weird, they had such heavy boxy heads!

[@81ue80]

What happens at 5:36 is crazy man

[@chimerasuchus]

They two creatures are Archosaurus, a distant relative of the dinosaurs and crocodilians. Despite the name, it is no longer considered a true archosaur itself. I made a video about its close relative. Proterosuchus. However, that video was made when my narration was honestly pretty bad, so I plan to remake that video. Edit: I just realized you were talking about the audio glitch. I don't know how I didn't notic it.

[@georget4141]

gotta respect gabriel ugeto for supplying these world class paleoart depictions of even these more obscure taxons

[@rileyernst9086]

Looks like a rapid swimmer, capable of considerable bouts of speed with that paddle tail. A 4 metrey is eel-crocodile nightmare material lol.

[@dantewhite9117]

Another potential Godzilla species candidate.

[@slartibastrafatl2607]

Great content!

[@hoibsh21]

It's kinda cute for such a weird reptile.

[@maozilla9149]

Good show

[@rugops6549]

The Triassic is one of my favorite periods now.

[@deinowolfhybridhero5101]

It looks like a mix trough a little croc and a big salamander. I think if it was still alive today its popular name could be "crocamander" 😊

[@in4mal_baker270]

Or maybe... Salagator?

[@deinowolfhybridhero5101]

@@in4mal_baker270 👍

[@cyrillianchaoid]

*Me, who wants to add a creature based on this to my fantasy world* EDIT: Chelisavidra Cheli = Eel Savra = Lizard Vidra = Otter

[@generaldissatisfaction5397]

The Triassic beasties certainly were curious...

[@harrywilson6468]

What a bizarre and amazing animal (God I love this channel!)

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

Yet another creature I've never heard of before this video. I'd call it the Hell Newt (I know, not an amphibian; but that tail!). That short snout looks like Vancleavia more likely fed on crustaceans, mollusks, and insects than on fish. It would have better bite force at its end for crunching through shells and exoskeletons. Purely guessing, of course.

[@Ra-Unhsiv]

Interesting video. 👍

[@cchavezjr7]

Love the Thagomizer reference!

[@Alberad08]

Great upload - thanks a lot! BTW the scales (though backed up by bone) reminded me somehow to those seen on the squamata group. In fact no any other archosaur comes to my mind showing this particular rhomboid pattern, but off course my knowledge is limited.

[@VOMITQUEEN]

Man, I love the Triassic

[@shellexpedition2013]

Never herd of this guy awesome video

[@posticusmaximus1739]

An episode on the early archosauroforms/morphs like Archosaurus would be cool. The Mesozoic is styled as the age of reptiles, but this age began in the Permian

[@SomeKindOfDodo]

Cretaceus: Has the biggest dinosaurs ever discovered. Jurassic: Well known for Allosaurus and Stego. Triassic: Weird animals go brrrrrrrrr.

[@inf5092]

Chimera could you talk about Acresuchus?

[@achimpanzee9210]

Where do you usually get this information for crocodylamorphs?

[@aldenconsolver3428]

I am wondering if there are any works out there going into the time interval for vertebrae to show gigantism or dwarfism? It seems to me that these changes occur more quickly than other forms of evolution. This makes sense, only requiring a mutation in the stop growth codons and not as many places as something that might seem simpler such as jaw configuration. Any insights that might bear on this? We can determine (in some cases , such as this one) if a vertebra is fully grown but if two fossils show a size difference and both are adults how far apart would this have to be in time? In Mammoths for instance dwarfism developed in some cases in perhaps only a hundred thousand years, and in the fossil record this could lead to a false separation of species since many rock units carry over many more years than that.

[@wolventiger]

Sorry I'm late this is awesome

[@kade-qt1zu]

Hello Chimerasaurus. I have a honest question. I have always been confused about whether Zhuchengtyrannus and Tarbosaurus lived at different times, or whether they lived at the same time at different locations. Do you have an answer?

[@chimerasuchus]

Tarbosaurus lived during the Maastrichtian, the last age of the Cretaceous Period. Zhuchengtyrannus's fossils are dated to 73 million years ago, a million years before the start of the Maastrichtian. Therefore, Zhuchengtyrannus was more likely to be Tarbosaurus's ancestor than it contemporary.

[@kade-qt1zu]

@@chimerasuchus I see. Thanks for the answer.

[@ahsanvirk130]

Looks like a cross between an alligator and a grass snake, even sharing a strong resemblance to one due to the colour palette in the thumbnail

[@roroahmed8251]

Awesome

[@danielking8558]

That one “flying with its legs” looks like it was gliding. Distinctly different than flying.

[@artiefufkin88]

Very weird. Looks like it was biting the heck out of something. Doesn't seem like it was a fish-eater, as least not purely one. Any ideas what it could have been eating?

[@matthewsweeney1593]

Got to love prehistoric crocodilians. I'm hoping in the future to find a terrestrial croc that is the length as a tyrannosaur that can hunt down horned dinosaurs

[@chimerasuchus]

That is the subject of the next video!

[@thewendigo2205]

Whenever I look at I think of a newt.

[@andrewsanders7636]

you should make a video on lesser known dinos like eotrike saurophagnax and some chinese sauropods

[@yallneedjesus5465]

Fossils of a different size mean different species now? Not the song we were singing about compsognathids

[@joeshmoe8345]

Yeah I liked it

[@wor575]

but crocodilian tails do use osteoderms to increase height, don't they? I mean the fact the rows of scales down the back converge into a single tall file at the tail?

[@chimerasuchus]

A little bit, but they are not where most of the tail's height comes from.

[@thelaughinghyenas8465]

Very interesting. Could this be closer to a mammal-like reptile? With those teeth and only one skull opening, it sounds very possible to me.

[@madisonmckillop6391]

Wouldnt different sizes indicate juviniles before different species

[@kinglyzard]

Vancleavia was really going somewhere before its extinction. Had not the meteor hit, today it would likely closely resemble a Polyterus fish.

[@vaimantobe3034]

Do you mean the Manicouagan crater? I'm pretty sure that wasn't linked with the end-triassic extinction event due to being 13 million years early

[@TheMightyN]

How was this a Crocodyliform, when its skull resembles that of a Plesiosaur?

[@chimerasuchus]

It wasn't a crocodyliform but an archosauriform only distantly related to crocodilians and dinosaurs.

[@TheMightyN]

@@chimerasuchus Yes, as you stated in the video. But it doesn't explain (what I caught in earshot) how this could be a part of that group when it vaguely resembles the later Plesiosaurs.

[@chimerasuchus]

@@TheMightyN Most of the similarities look to be the result of their shortened snouts.

[@TheMightyN]

@@chimerasuchus Right until its earlier relative Proterosuchus set an example. Therefore, can we infer that maybe some Sauropterygian decided to dabble in convergent evolution or the other way around?

[@julianshepherd2038]

Should have called it Phil

[@goujeewugee2458]

I wonder if it moved like a river otter?

[@paterpater100]

It reminds me of a reptile version of an otter!

[@Anhviet19]

Are you 'The Company man?"

[@VINCE-pp3es]

kinda looks like a strange lovechild of a crocodile and a coelacanth

[@mattmonster8402]

Reminds me of otters in shape

[@majidskinnerkhan6960]

This looks like a miniature Godzilla

[@gattycroc8073]

off topic but remember when I said that the next prehistoric documentary should take place in Cenozoic South America?

[@chimerasuchus]

Yes?

[@gattycroc8073]

@@chimerasuchus well it could be any type of project like a Saurian style game or animated film.

[@raymoonstar13]

Triassic otter?

[@danielwatson4864]

Comparing vancleavea to crocodiles is like comparing ropefish to gars. There must be some sort of kinship!

[@jasongillies5911]

Pure art from the Heavenly Father in my opinion

[@ksoundkaiju9256]

0:20 I’m sorry, what the hell is that?

[@chimerasuchus]

Kranosaura. It and the closely related Triopticus both had pachycephalosaur-like domed heads. I made a video about Protopyknosia, the clade formed by the two.

[@bkjeong4302]

Crassugyrinus but as a sauropsid

[@Keigo_88]

"an odd aquatic reptile from the Triassic period" OF COURSE ITS TRIASSIC

[@bloodfreud]

his face is adorable uwu

[@OrionoftheStar]

What if the spiky osteoderms were an example of sexual dimorphism?

[@chimerasuchus]

That is a good idea.

[@joshuaball5916]

So it's NOT an April Fool's joke.

[@chimerasuchus]

No.

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

Proto-Croc mimics with Otto-like body type? Watch this animal before.

[@wolventiger]

How did we get to be? We shed skin so are we warm blooded dinosaurs

[@dinosdude1355]

Why does this feel like a late April Fool? It's kinda cute though...

[@parakeorex]

Not

[@kims-gravemade7934]

Real life turgeon

[@3characterhandlerequired]

That does look a bit like reptilian otter.

[@cascadianrangers728]

Haha, Thagomizer

[@marginbuu212]

"Literalsuchus", a species that always spoke literally. Never used metaphors or exaggerations. Not very fun at parties.

[@loganstephenson7469]

Scaly otter

[@daxxonjabiru428]

Nasal.