Nyakatari

Gnatusuchus is a hybrid of the Quechua word nyatu (meaning "small nose" or "snout") and the Greek suchus ("crocodile"). The species name: pebasensis refers to the Pebas Formation, the geological layer in Peru where the fossils were unearthed.

Having a length-breadth index of 1.55, which is just marginally more than that of the strange notosuchian Simosuchus from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, Gnatusuchus is a little caiman that resembles spectacled caimans but has an unusually short and rounded snout. Because of the small cranium, the nares are apple-shaped and the nearly circular orbits are situated at the roughly midway of the skull.  The mandible is broad and short, and Gnatusuchus terminates in a brief but enormous retroarticular process, just like the skull. The mandible's general shovel-like shape may have evolved as a result of eating on bivalves.

Based on the size of the skull material from Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi estimate a total body length of 148.9 to 167.7 centimeters (4.89 to 5.50 feet) depending on the proportions used for the calculation.

Because of a number of remarkable traits, Gnatusuchus caimans are highly adapted predators in their freshwater environments. They are protected against competition and predators by their rough, scaly skin, which serves as natural armor. The caimans can move swiftly and silently through the water thanks to their webbed feet and powerful tails. Gnatusuchus feed on prehistoric freshwater clams and mussels in South American rivers.

Gnatusuchus would "plow" through the muddy bottom of lakes and marshes using its lower jaw, which resembled a shovel. It would filter out mollusks and collect mud. Although Gnatusuchus could swim, it was probably a benthic (bottom-dwelling) specialist. Instead of being a fast-moving chase predator, this caiman would have moved slowly across the mega-wetland's floor.

Given that it consumed hard-shelled food, particularly bivalves like clams and mollusks, Gnatusuchus is thought to be a durophagous predator. Gnatusuchus inhabited what is now the Amazon basin, which had a vast network of rivers, lakes, and marshes. This "mega-wetland" was home to a vast variety of mollusks, including snails and clams.

Reproduction

As a crocodilian, it presumably:

• Gnatususchus laid eggs on land in mud nest mounds or hole nests near water.

• Parental care was possible — many modern caimans guard nests and young.

• No direct fossil evidence exists for its nests or eggs.

Like the majority of contemporary crocodilians, Gnatusuchus is probably solitary and spends a lot of time hunting in shallow water and close to marshy margins. As the "clam-shoveler" of the muck, Gnatusuchus was able to live by taking up a position that no one else wanted. Like contemporary caimans, this one may have screamed or shown during social interactions.

Much like modern-day caimans, Gnatusuchus can be dangerous, but they generally pose less threat to humans compared to their larger relatives like crocodiles and alligators. Due to small size, Gnatusuchus are less likely to attack humans.

Gnatusuchus disappeared as the Pebas ecosystem (except in Wirt and Beatrice's/World-002 universe) fragmented:

1. Uplift of the Andes changed drainage patterns, leading to the establishment of the modern eastward-flowing Amazon River.

2. This transformation reduced the mollusk populations and altered wetland habitats — diminishing the food base for durophagous caimans.

3. Other crushing-toothed caimans persisted in other formations for a while, but Gnatusuchus itself vanishes from the fossil record.

One of the most unusual crocodilians ever known, Gnatusuchus pebasensis, was discovered in the Miocene Amazonian rainforest deposits of Peru. Rather than flowing eastward like the modern Amazon Rainforest, rivers drained north toward the Caribbean during the Middle Miocene, creating a mega-wetland environment across much of what is now the Amazon Basin. The area was made up of marshes, swamps, lakes, and slow rivers. Rich in invertebrates like mollusks, ostracods, and other freshwater organisms, this diversity supported a rich community of crocodilians, fish, turtles, and mammals.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: 

  • Earth: 0

  • Reinachos (2700-recent): 240

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Warm Littoral; Cold Littoral; Radiated Citadel; Volcano; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.

• Earth: 

  • Extinct: Chile; Peru; Venezuela

TBA

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnatusuchus

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4375856/

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8428266/

• https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8615557.html

• https://novataxa.blogspot.com/2015/02/gnatusuchus-proto-amazonia.html

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Gnatususchus-pebasesnsis-1239652546