Rutiodon: No measured body size data available to draw at scale.
- · Grid units represent actual meters (m); human and animals are drawn to the exact same scale with original silhouette aspect ratios preserved.
- · When a size range is recorded (e.g. 1–1.6m), the lower bound is used for scale comparison.
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Rutiodon
Rutiodon carolinensis (Rutiodon · Rutiodon)
Known only from fossils. The IUCN Red List assesses only species extant since 1500 CE, so fossil taxa are not assigned a category.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 The largest tooth used when it was first named, at 35 mm, is slightly longer than the diameter of a Korean 500-won coin (26.5 mm) (Comparison).
- 💡 Because the genus name Rutiodon combines the Greek words for 'wrinkle' and 'tooth,' it is an animal named after the shape of its teeth.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Rutiodon carolinensis (genus Rutiodon) was a phytosaur that lived during the Late Triassic, a crocodile-like reptile with a long, gharial-like snout. Ebenezer Emmons named this species in 1856 based on teeth found in North Carolina.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
The genus name means 'wrinkled tooth.' The five teeth used when it was first named were fluted with a sharp edge along one side, and the largest measured 35 mm long.
🔍 3. Fossil Record & Paleoecology
The Smithsonian introduces phytosaurs as semi-aquatic reptiles that caught fish with long, pointed jaws and conical teeth (a description of the group as a whole). A 1962 American Museum of Natural History paper noted that this species had not yet been confirmed with certainty outside North Carolina.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • Fossil taxon — the IUCN Red List assesses only species living or extinct since 1500
- • paleobiodb.org — basicTaxonInfo
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Rutiodon carolinensis AMNH.jpg
- • archive.org — relationshipsam2095greg.pdf
- • qrius.si.edu — 10022211
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Nobu Tamura · CC BY 4.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Parasuchus hislopi)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.