Paarthurnax

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Lore & Background

The holotype skull, specimen TxVP 41881-1, was discovered during the 1970s at the Briar Site Locality within the Aptian to Albian Holly Creek Formation. After its discovery, the skull was given to Dr. N. F. Williams of what is now the Arkansas Geological Survey. It was briefly described in 1973 and shared with Wann Langston Jr. in 1975. For decades, it was occasionally discussed in papers and at one point regarded as having affinities with goniopholidids. In 2021, the material was tentatively referred to *Paluxysuchus*, though no thorough description followed until 2025. That year, Nathan C. Platt, Thomas L. Adams, and Christopher A. Brochu formally described the material and named it Paarthurnax.

In Their Own Story

The skull of Paarthurnax is roughly triangular with a flattened snout that constitutes about 65% of the total length. Its tip is distinctly axe-shaped due to prominent notches at the premaxilla-maxilla contact, designed to receive an enlarged fourth dentary tooth. The external narial opening is entirely surrounded by the premaxillae and encircled by a perinarial crest that is widest around the sides. Uniquely, unlike most goniopholidids, Paarthurnax lacks a distinct ovoid maxillary depression; instead, it features a narrow groove extending from neurovascular foramina in the same region. This feature closely mirrors the latest Cretaceous *Denazinosuchus* and the paluxysuchine *Deltasuchus*, leading researchers to hypothesize these structures are homologues.

Reader's Guide

The nasal bones of Paarthurnax begin as a narrow wedge between posterior premaxillary processes, widening until bifurcated by the frontal. The dagger-shaped frontal bridges the rostrum and skull table, featuring a prominent interorbital crest spanning the central element and extending across prefrontals and lacrimals. The postorbital bears two projections: a small anteromedial peg on the intertemporal bar and a pronounced elongated process forming the lateral orbit edge, directing the eyesocket upward. Associated with the skull is a single partial osteoderm thought to be the anterolateral corner of a right paravertebral element.

Did You Know?

• The genus name Paarthurnax was inspired by a dragon from the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
• The specific epithet holliensis refers to the Holly Creek Formation where the fossil was found.
• Paarthurnax is monotypic, containing only the species Paarthurnax holliensis.
• Unlike other goniopholidids, this genus lacks a distinct ovoid maxillary depression, possessing a narrow groove instead.
• The holotype skull was shared with Wann Langston Jr. in 1975 but remained undescribed until 2025.