Ahdeskatanka

Ahdeskatanka is an extinct genus of alligator from the Early Eocene Golden Valley Formation of North Dakota, USA. Ahdeskatanka had a short and rounded snout with globular teeth well-suited for crushing hard-shelled prey, though its exact ecology is not known. Ahdeskatanka inhabited the vast wetlands that covered much of western North Dakota during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, an environment it shared with at least three other crocodilians. Only a single species is placed in this genus, Ahdeskatanka russlanddeutsche.

Ahdeskatanka Temporal range: Early Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Crocodilia
Family:	Alligatoridae
Subfamily:	Alligatorinae
Genus:	Ahdeskatanka Cossette & Tarailo, 2024
Type species
Ahdeskatanka russlanddeutsche Cossette & Tarailo, 2024

Phylogeny

The type description of Ahdeskatanka provides two phylogenetic trees, one showcasing the strict concensus of the conducted analysis and a second Adams consensus tree that aims to showcase an improved resolution within the group. As such, the latter tree preserves not only the clades recovered by the strict concensus tree but further disolves certain polytomys present in the former. In both instances Alligatoroidea contains only a handfull of basally branching forms like Deinosuchus, Leidyosuchus and Diplocynodon before splitting into the two major groups still around to this day, the Alligatorinae and the Caimaninae. While the contemporary Chrysochampsa is recovered as an early off-shoot of the caimanine subfamily, Ahdeskatanka was found to be an early-branching member of the Alligatorinae. However, it is noted that Ahdeskatanka is one of a few labile taxa within the tree, alongside the genus Allodaposuchus which was recovered as a close relative by the Adams consensus.

Alligatoroidea

†Deinosuchus †Leidyosuchus †Diplocynodon Alligatoridae †Hassiacosuchus †Navajosuchus †Ceratosuchus Caimaninae Alligatorinae †Ahdeskatanka russlanddeutsche †Allognathosuchus polyodon †Allognathosuchus wartheni †Arambourgia †Procaimanoidea kayi †Procaimanoidea utahensis †Alligator prenasalis †Alligator mcgrewi †Wannaganosuchus †Alligator olseni Alligator sinensis (Chinese alligator) Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator) †Alligator mefferdi †Alligator thomsoni