Re: Purussaurus

[Tom Holtz <tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov>]

>I would like to get some information on the massive carnivore 'Purussaurus'
>that once roamed the Amazon basin in South America.
>
>Thanks,
>Matthew Garman.

Purrusaurus was a gigantic alligatorid (caiman or alligator) of the Miocene
(mid-Cenozoic) of Amazonia.  Estimates of its mass put it at about 15-18
tonnes, or 3 times as heavy as a T. rex!

                                
Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.                                   
tholtz@geochange.er.usgs.gov
Vertebrate Paleontologist in Exile                  Phone:      703-648-5280
U.S. Geological Survey                                FAX:      703-648-5420
Branch of Paleontology & Stratigraphy
MS 970 National Center
Reston, VA  22092
U.S.A.