Madtsoia is an extinct genus of Madtsoiidae . It is known from the Eocene of Argentina ( M. bai),[ the Paleocene of Brazil ( M. camposi),][ the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of India ( M. pisdurensis),][ The type species ( M. bai) was the largest with an estimated length of ,][ A long M. madagascariensis would have weighed , but an isolated specimen suggests that this species reached in maximum length.][ Juvenile Madtsoia madagascariensis may have eaten a wide array of small vertebrates, while adults likely ate a narrower range of larger taxa. Possible prey for adult M. madagascariensis would have included medium-sized (e.g., adult Simosuchus clarki, subadult Mahajangasuchus insignis) as well as small theropod dinosaurs (e.g., adult Masiakasaurus knopfleri, subadult Majungasaurus crenatissimus), though such large prey would have caused injuries for the snake. In the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina, Madtsoia would have frequently eaten the more varied and abundant of larger size.]
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Distribution
Fossils of Madtsoia have been found in:[ Madtsoia at Fossilworks.org]
- Coniacian
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In Beceten Formation, Niger
- Campanian
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian)
- Eocene
Further reading
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Snakes: The Evolution of Mystery in Nature by Harry W. Greene
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In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods by Nicholas C. Fraser and Hans-Dieter Sues
External links
