Elosuchus is a long-snouted crocodyliform from the Early–Late Cretaceous of northern Africa, first described from the Kem Kem region of Morocco and reclassified by France de Lapparent de Broin (2002) into its own genus and family, Elosuchidae. Once mistaken for Thoracosaurus cherifiensis, Elosuchus is now recognized as a distinct lineage of large, semi-aquatic predators that thrived in river and floodplain environments rather than marine ones. 

Characterized by its broad, flattened snout, festooned jaws, and unique palatal fossae, Elosuchus displays an intermediate form between earlier mesosuchians and later, more derived crocodylians. Fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Lhandar and Kem Kem formations reveal a robust, fish-eating species that shared its ecosystem with early dinosaurs, turtles, and other aquatic life. Rare and scientifically significant, Elosuchus captures a pivotal stage in crocodyliform evolution across Cretaceous Africa.


Ref: F. de Lapparent de Broin, C. R. Palevol 1 (2002) 275–285