Iberosuchus (meaning "Iberian crocodile") is a genus of extinct sebecosuchian mesoeucrocodylian found in Western Europe from the Eocene.
Remains of a mesocrocodylian were found in Portugal; it was named Iberosuchus macrodon in 1975 by Antunes,[1] and is assigned as the type species.
[3] Iberosuchus has ziphodont teeth that have a laterally compressed tooth crown that had a distally curved apex;[3] anterior-posteriorly elongated dorsal osteoderms that have a keel running through the central median; rugose ornamentations with no pits and cupules; osteoderm lack anterolateral process;[4] the skull is vermiculated; spoon-like premaxilla palatal shelf or mandibular symphysis; notch between premaxilla and maxilla or large 4th mandibular tooth; deep rostrum or mandible.
[3] It also had traits that it shared with other metasuchians, the dentary had lateral depressions and had a prolongation that extends dorsally behind the tooth row; the splenials are robust, had a big slot-like foramen intermandibularis oralis; had anteriorposteriorly elongated glanoid fossa on articular.
Though only known by skull fragments and osteoderms, many artistic reconstructions use its close relatives such as Sebecus which has post cranial remains found as a reference.
[5] There is a close to complete postorbital fossil found in Aumelas, its dorsal surface is vermiculate and bares a distinct anterolateral process with a concave notch that possibly where the palpebral bone sat.
[5] The post orbital is orientated vertically, and the cross section has a triangular shape with both sides concaved; the supratemporal fenestra's anterior-lateral edge is formed by the postorbital.
[5] Larger osteoderms also have a similar shape, but the main body is flatter with an indented outline, ventral side is flat.
[1] Formation consists of sandstone, with gravel and silt, and in the site various mammals and turtles were found such as Paralophiodon cf.
The mandibular element was found in Caenes, Salamanca Province in Spain;[4] it from the Bartonian age in MP 16 (mammal Paleogene zone), which is roughly 44 to 39 million years ago.
In La Livinière, Hérault, France, the postcranials, jugal, and some teeth are found in a fossil site of rocks from late Lutetian age, MP 15.