biology

Indosuchus

Indosuchus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Indosuchus rather than just read about it. In short: Indosuchus (lit. 'Indian crocodile') is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period (Maastrichtian, 70 to 66 million years ago) of what is now India. Like most theropods, Indosuchus was a bipedal carnivore.

Key takeaways

Indosuchus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Indosuchus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Indosuchus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Indosuchus (lit. 'Indian crocodile') is a genus of abelisaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period (Maastrichtian, 70 to 66 million years ago) of what is now India. Like most theropods, Indosuchus was a bipedal carnivore. It was about 7 metres (23 ft) long, weighed about 1.2 tonnes (1.3 short tons), and had a crested skull, flattened on the top.

Discovery and naming Indosuchus was named by Friedrich von Huene in 1932 and was described by Huene and Charles Alfred Matley in 1933 from three partial skulls found by Matley in India near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh in strata of the Lameta Formation. The lectotype is GSI K27/685, consisting of the parietals and frontals of a single individual. Two paralectotypes were referred, both including material from the posterior skull, with the fossils referred based on the parietal morphology. The known remains of the lectotype material have been lost.

The generic name is derived from Indos, Ancient Greek for the Indus and Soukhos, Ancient Greek for the Egyptian crocodile god. The specific name raptorius means "raptorial" in Latin.

Classification

Because only some skull elements have been found, Indosuchus placement has been somewhat erratic. Although it is now somewhat firmly placed within the Abelisauridae, it was originally assigned by von Huene to the Allosauridae. Alick Walker thought in 1964 it was a member of the Tyrannosauridae. The discovery of other abelisaurids like Carnotaurus has helped clarify its position; in 1986 José Bonaparte concluded it was an abelisaurid. Indosuchus is defined based on how the frontonasal suture is placed anteriorly compared to lacrimal, according to Novas et al., 2004.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Indosuchus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Indosuchus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Indosuchus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Indosuchus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Indosuchus

In research: Indosuchus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Indosuchus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Indosuchus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Abelisauridae, Dinosaur genera, Dinosaurs of India, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Indosuchus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Indosuchus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Indosuchus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Indosuchus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indosuchus in simple terms?

Why does Indosuchus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Indosuchus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Indosuchus.