Wannchampsus

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Wannchampsus is an extinct relative of crocodiles that lived in what is now Texas during the Early Cretaceous, about 119 to 113 million years ago. It belongs to a group called paralligatorids, a crocodyliform family that is close to true crocodiles but not the same.

Fossils of Wannchampsus kirpachi were found in the Twin Mountains Formation near Proctor Lake, Comanche County, Texas. The fossils include two partial skulls and jaws labeled SMU 76604 and SMU 76605, along with some forelimb bones and vertebrae. The rocks are from the late Aptian age of the Lower Cretaceous.

Wannchampsus kirpachi was described in 2014 by Thomas Adams. The name honors Wesley Kirpach for his role in discovering and excavating the specimens. The skulls are small and low, about 64 mm and 62 mm long. The lower jaw lacks a small opening called the external mandibular fenestra. In the jaws, the third tooth of the upper jaw and the fourth tooth of the lower jaw are enlarged. Teeth toward the back of the jaw become broader and less pointed, and the front teeth in the lower jaw project forward. The known skulls appear to come from subadult individuals.

In a phylogenetic analysis, Wannchampsus kirpachi is placed as a derived paralligatorid, closely related to the so-called “Glen Rose form,” which Adams considered to belong to Wannchampsus.