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Baru

Baru, sometimes referred to as the cleaver-headed crocodile, is an extinct genus of Australian mekosuchine crocodilian. Its fossils have been found from various Late Oligocene and Miocene localities from across the Northern Territory and Queensland, indicating that Baru was a common genus during the late Paleogene and early Neogene. Three species are recognized, B. darrowi, B. iylwenpeny, and B. wickeni. Baru was a large and powerful mekosuchine with an incredibly deep and robust skull and long teeth with compressed crowns that in the case of Baru darrowi are furthermore adorned with minute serrations. At a length of around , it was among the largest crocodilians native to Australia at the time and the largest predator of its ecosystem. With dorsally oriented nostrils and eyes and a poor range of head movement, as well as its fossils being associated with freshwater environments, Baru is generally interpreted to have been a semi-aquatic ambush hunter, spending much of its day submerged in water waiting for prey. While the skull of Baru broadly resembles that of modern crocodiles, its much more robust morphology suggests that it hunted somewhat differently. Willis and colleagues suggest that it inhabited shallower waters that were not suited to drown potential prey items as done by today's crocodiles.…

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Article summary

Baru, sometimes referred to as the cleaver-headed crocodile, is an extinct genus of Australian mekosuchine crocodilian. Its fossils have been found from various Late Oligocene and Miocene localities from across the Northern Territory and Queensland, indicating that Baru was a common genus during the late Paleogene and early Neogene. Three species are recognized, B. darrowi, B. iylwenpeny, and B. wickeni. Baru was a large and powerful mekosuchine with an incredibly deep and robust skull and long teeth with compressed crowns that in the case of Baru darrowi are furthermore adorned with minute serrations. At a length of around , it was among the largest crocodilians native to Australia at the time and the largest predator of its ecosystem. With dorsally oriented nostrils and eyes and a poor range of head movement, as well as its fossils being associated with freshwater environments, Baru is generally interpreted to have been a semi-aquatic ambush hunter, spending much of its day submerged in water waiting for prey. While the skull of Baru broadly resembles that of modern crocodiles, its much more robust morphology suggests that it hunted somewhat differently. Willis and colleagues suggest that it inhabited shallower waters that were not suited to drown potential prey items as done by today's crocodiles.…

Key claims

  1. date of establishment: 2017 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 2017 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of establishment is "2017". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "2017". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373545982

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.