Paracyclotosaurus

Paracyclotosaurus; Temporal range: MiddleTriassic247.2–242.0Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Paracyclotosaurus davidiin theNatural History Museum of London
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	†Temnospondyli
Suborder:	†Stereospondyli
Clade:	†Capitosauria
Family:	†Mastodonsauridae
Genus:	†Paracyclotosaurus; Watson, 1958
Species
	†P. davidiWatson, 1958 (type); †P. crookshankiDamiani, 2001; †P. morganorumDamiani and Hancox, 2003;

Paracyclotosaurus(meaning "Near Wheeled Lizard" ) is anextinct genusoftemnospondyl,which would have appeared similar to today'ssalamander– but much larger, measuring up to 2.45 m (8.0 ft) long and weighing between 159 and 365 kg (351 and 805 lb).^[1]It lived in theMiddle Triassicperiod, about 235 million years ago, and fossils have been found inAustralia,India,andSouth Africa.

Although they could live on dry land,Paracyclotosaurusprobably spent most of its time in water. They had flattened bodies and elongated heads, almost 60 centimetres (2 ft) long, that vaguely resembled those of moderncrocodiles.^[2]

Discovery and naming

The type speciesP. davidiis only known from one complete specimen recovered from Australia. It was discovered by quarry miners in a brick pit inSt. Peters in Sydney, New South Wales.The discovery, made in 1910, was from a largeironstonenodule withinAshfield Shalewhich contained the nearly complete skeleton. The reconstruction was finished in July 1914, and was initially determined to be closely related toCyclotosaurus.^[3]The original bone of theP. davidiholotype specimen was in very bad condition, but after the bone was removed from the hard ironstone matrix, casts were made from the matrix mold, and a mold was made from those casts. Casts of the original bone show a fair amount of detail.

Paracyclotosaurus davidiiwas named after SirEdgeworth David,the man who arranged for theBritish Museum (Natural History)to acquire the specimen.^[3]