Brochuchus [SEP] parent taxon
Brochuchus
Brochuchus is an extinct genus of crocodile known from the Miocene Hiwegi Formation of Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, Kenya. It contains a single species, Brochuchus pigotti. "Brochuchus" belongs to the subfamily Crocodylinae, which includes all living crocodiles. The closest living relative of "Brochuchus" is "Osteolaemus", the dwarf crocodile. Compared to "Osteolaemus", which has a small body and blunt snout, "Brochuchus" has a more generalized crocodylid anatomy. "Brochuchus" is characterized by a flat and relatively
much of its time in water. As shown by the many mammal fossils that have been found on Rusinga Island, "Brochuchus "lived alongside several species of proboscideans (elephant relatives) and primates, the most famous of which is the early ape "Proconsul". Although there is no direct evidence for what "Brochuchus "ate, it may have preyed on "Proconsul". If this is the case, "Brochuchus" may have been one of the earliest anthropoidophagous ("ape-eating") crocodilians.