biology

Sissokosuchus

Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus rather than just read about it. In short: Sissokosuchus is an extinct genus of itasuchid notosuchian from the Early Cretaceous Continental intercalaire of Mali. Like other itasuchids, Sissokosuchus had relatively narrow jaws with numerous partially interlocking teeth, somewhat resembling modern crocodilians moreso than the oreinorostrine peirosaurids it's most closely related to.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Sissokosuchus is an extinct genus of itasuchid notosuchian from the Early Cretaceous Continental intercalaire of Mali. Like other itasuchids, Sissokosuchus had relatively narrow jaws with numerous partially interlocking teeth, somewhat resembling modern crocodilians moreso than the oreinorostrine peirosaurids it's most closely related to. It has therefore been speculated that it may have been semi-aquatic, an idea that matches the fact that the Continental intercalaire has been interpreted as a downstream part of what is dubbed the Paleo-Tegama river system, which also included the fluvial systems of what is now Niger. Sissokosuchus is among the few itasuchids known from Africa and the first deeply nested members from the continent, though the exact implications of this remain somewhat poorly understood. The genus is monotypic, meaning it only includes a single species: S. maliensis.

History and naming The fossil remains of Sissokosuchus were discovered in 1999 in the poorly defined sediments of the "Continental intercalaire" of Mali, an informal name for a series of rock layers spanning the Carboniferous to Cenomanian. The specific layers where the fossils originates from have been correlated to other western African sediments that suggest a rough Aptian to Albian age. The holotype is one of several specimens found spread across a 10 square meter area and the most complete, consisting of a partial dentary tip, parts of the maxilla and several cranial elements that are almost articulated with each other. Some postcranial material, such as vertebrae, osteoderms and limb bones are also part of the holotype. The name Sissokosuchus is an eponym, combining the last name of Dr. Famory Sissoko with the Greek word "souchos" (meaning crocodile after the Egyptian deity Sobek). The species name on the other hand is a reference to the Republic of Mali.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sissokosuchus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus

In research: Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus 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: Sissokosuchus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fossil taxa described in 2025, Fossils of Mali, Late Cretaceous crocodylomorphs of Africa, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sissokosuchus 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.

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How to study Sissokosuchus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sissokosuchus in simple terms?

Why does Sissokosuchus 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 Sissokosuchus?

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 Sissokosuchus.