hasosuch

Hasosuch is a genus of extinct crocodilians that lived during the Paleocene epoch in what is now North Africa. Fossil remains of Hasosuchus have been found in the Ouled Abdoun Basin of Morocco. This genus is known from fragmentary remains, including skull elements and vertebrae.

Hasosuchus is classified within the Gavialoidea, a superfamily of crocodylians that includes modern gharials and their extinct relatives. Its presence in the Paleocene of Africa indicates a wider distribution of this group than previously thought, and suggests a complex biogeographical history for crocodylians following the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.

The precise phylogenetic relationships of Hasosuchus within Gavialoidea are still debated due to the limited fossil material. However, it is considered an early diverging member of the group, providing insights into the evolutionary diversification of long-snouted crocodilians. The environment in which Hasosuchus lived was likely a fluvial or estuarine system, typical of many Paleocene fossil sites in North Africa. Further discoveries of Hasosuchus fossils are needed to better understand its morphology, diet, and ecological role during the early Cenozoic.