Overview
- The peer‑reviewed study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology formally names Sonselasuchus cedrus from the Norian Sonsela Member of the Chinle Formation.
- Sonselasuchus is represented by over 950 specimens from at least 36 individuals recovered at the Kaye Quarry, part of a collection exceeding 3,000 fossils since 2014.
- Quantitative allometry shows the forelimb grew on a negative trajectory relative to the hindlimb, consistent with juveniles moving quadrupedally and adults adopting bipedal locomotion.
- Osteology indicates a dinosaur‑like body plan with a toothless beak, large orbits, and hollow bones that resemble ornithomimid theropods through convergent evolution on the croc line.
- Phylogenetic analysis places the species within Shuvosauridae in an unresolved clade with Effigia and Shuvosaurus, reflecting gaps in overlapping skull data.