| Metoposaurus algarvensis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Universe | Real Life | ||
| Aliases | Metoposaurus | ||
| Classification | Metoposaurus algarvensis | ||
| Species type | Metoposaur | ||
| Homeworld | Earth | ||
| Environment | Iberian Peninsula, Portugal | ||
| Intelligence | Non-sapient | ||
| Biochemistry | Carbon-based lifeform | ||
| Biological information | |||
| Average length | 2m | ||
| Locomotion | Quadrupedal crawling | ||
| Feeding behavior | Piscivorous | ||
| Prey | Fish | ||
| Lineage information | |||
| Cultural information | |||
| Alignment | Neutral | ||
| Sociocultral characteristics | |||
| Scientific taxonomy | |||
| Planet | Earth | ||
| Domain | Eukaryota | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia | ||
| Subkingdom | Eumetazoa | ||
| Infrakingdom | Bilateria | ||
| Superphylum | Deuterostomia | ||
| Phylum | Chordata | ||
| Subphylum | Vertebrata | ||
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata | ||
| Superclass | Tetrapoda | ||
| Class | Amphibia | ||
| Subclass | Labyrinthodontia | ||
| Order | Temnospondyli | ||
| Suborder | Stereospondyli | ||
| Infraorder | Trematosauria | ||
| Superfamily | Metoposauroidea | ||
| Family | Metoposauridae | ||
| Genus | Metoposaurus | ||
| Species | algarvensis | ||
| Other information | |||
| Status | Extinct | ||
Metoposaurus algarvensis was a species of crocodile-like but also giant salamander-like amphibians that was considered among the Earth's apex predators 220-230 million years ago indigenous to southern Portugal. They lived in lakes and rivers of the Late Triassic Period, filling a niche similar to today's crocodiles and consisting of a diet primarily of fish.
Growing up to 2 meters in length -- as long as a small car -- m. algarvensis had hundreds of sharp teeth within a large, flat head, which looked similar to a toilet seat when its jaws snapped shut. It was part of a wider collection of primitive amphibians that could be found in lower latitude zones, which formed a part of the ancestral stock that grew into modern amphibians such as frogs and newts, and are considered distant relatives to modern salamanders. This primitive group could be found as widespread as Africa, Europe, India, and North America, though m. algarvensis itself could be found in the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal.
They may have gone extinct when the lake in which they inhabited apparently dried up. Most others of their group were wiped out during a mass extinction 201 million years ago during the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event, which helped lead to the domination of the dinosaurs.