Overview

• The peer-reviewed description in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology names Thikarisuchus xenodentes and proposes a new neosuchian family, Wannchampsidae.
• The juvenile measured about 2 feet long and likely topped out near 3 feet as an adult, living roughly 95 million years ago near the Western Interior Seaway.
• The heterodont, sheathed teeth indicate feeding versatility consistent with omnivory to insectivory, unlike most semiaquatic neosuchians with simple conical teeth.
• Harrison Allen discovered the fossil in 2021 in the Blackleaf Formation of southwest Montana, and researchers recovered dozens of tiny fragments including a 50‑mm skull.
• CT-based reconstruction revealed a dense bone concentration consistent with burrow preservation, and the study notes convergent traits with Eurasian atoposaurids.