Extinct and Extant Species

Quinkana fortirostrum
Quinkana is an extinct reptilian genus from the late Oligocene to the late
Pleistocene (24 million to 40 thousand years ago). It is of the crocodylidae family
sub family Mekosuchinae and the genus Quinkana.
It was one of the top land predators during the early Pleistocene using its long
legs and its ziphodont teeth.
Saltwater crocodile
Saltwater crocodile (Scientific name: Crocodylus porosus) are the largest living
reptile in the world weighing up to 1000kg in mass. It is also in the Crocodylidae
family with the genus Crocodylus. T
Comparison
Information
Distribution

Length

Weight

Legs length

Teeth type

Salt water crocodile

They can travel thousand
kilometres by sea which
leads to their wide
distribution- they are
found mainly in northern
parts of Australia, and
from Vanuatu to Thailand
and Cambodia including
everywhere in between.
Male size averages
around 5m while females
range from 2.5 to 3m.

1000-1200 kg----water
buoyancy supports the
weight and this helps in
its death roll
Shorter leg due to lack of
necessity

Long teeth---sharp, peg

like teeth well-suited to
seize and tightly grip prey
but not shear flesh---small preys are swallowed
whereas large preys are
broken through the death
roll. The conical teeth
further helps in this cause
by increasing the grip as

Quinkana fortirostrum
They were only found in
Australia, particularly
Queensland

Has been estimated to

exceed 5m making it the
largest Australian
predator in the early
Pleistocene. Used height
advantage against
200 kg---land does not
support too much weight
and light weight allows
higher mobility
Longer legs---allowed
higher mobility on land to
chase its prey on land--???how long????
Ziphrodont
teeth===sabre-shaped
and laterally flattened
with serrated edges can
be used for tearing flesh
which is necessary since it
couldnt do the death roll.
These knive like teeth
could easily do high
damage to soft bodied

it drowns its prey

underwater

prey. Such as
Phascolarctos stirtoni -----not
sure about this fact

Snout and jaw

Tail

Lateral compression of
snout
Hinge-like jaws =biting
power
Muscular tail with spikes
to whip preys and to use
for jumping out of the
water

Lateral compression of
snout
Hinge-like jaws both give
a lot of biting power
Muscular tail for
attacking/ like a whip--check

2nd part
Quinkana fortistrotum was a terrestrial crocodile whereas the
present saltwater crocodile is an aquatic predator. They each
had adaptations suited to either land or water yet they also had
many similarities.
These crocodiles which once became the largest predators as
seen in the fossil evidence of Australia during early Pleistocene
only showing a few large predator megafaunas.
More
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinkana
http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/q/quinkana.html
http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/q/quinkana.html
http://www.outback-australia-travelsecrets.com/australian_crocodiles.html
https://books.google.com.au/books?
id=Af7IwQWJoCMC&pg=PA344&lpg=PA344&dq=physiology+of+salt+wa
ter+crocodile&source=bl&ots=T_q_RsWmIh&sig=MlBXdpsPfvOWUOOOh
Y6Zu9KGGlA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjb0tvL_d7OAhVBjJQKHYnkB7c
Q6AEIdTAS#v=onepage&q=physiology%20of%20salt%20water
%20crocodile&f=false

http://animaliaenthusiasts.proboards.com/thread/1125/saltwatercrocodile-quinkana
http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9694618/1/

https://blogs.unimelb.edu.au/sciencecommunication/2013/08/19/thefall-of-the-australian-megafauna-crime-or-tragedy/
http://australianmuseum.net.au/uploads/journals/17568/198_complete.p
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