Like other orientalosuchins
Eoalligator possessed a short and blunt snout that shares characteristics with both
crocodyloids and
alligatoroids, contributing to its unclear position within
Crocodilia. The lower margin of the upper jaw displays a clear pattern of concave and convex regions following the toothrow, a condition known as festooning. Wang and colleagues describe the curvature of the
premaxilla as being similar to that of the
saltwater crocodile, whereas the curvature is much shallower in the
Chinese alligator. The contact between the premaxilla and
maxilla runs through a fossa located just behind the last premaxillary tooth, which serves to receive an enlarged fourth dentary tooth when the jaws are closed, partially hiding it as in modern alligators and differing from the notch seen in several other orientalosuchins. The
quadratojugal would have formed part of the
infratemporal fenestra alongside the
jugal bone, and formed a spine that would have protruded into the opening. This is actually a
plesiomorphic condition among crocodilians and also appears in modern gharials, crocodiles and dwarf crocodiles, whereas its displaced in alligatorines. Towards the back of the skull the quadratojugal comes in contact part of the lateral hemicondyle of the
quadrate bone, the outer of the two hemicondyles. The medial condyle, which is positioned closer to the midline of the skull, is described as being expanded similar to
Tomistoma, however the two are still considered to be similar in size by Wu
et al., contrary to the description of Wang and colleagues. The
parietal forms the central part of the
skull table, located between the
supratemporal fenestra and the
squamosal bones. It is shaped like an inverted Y, with a narrow process between the fenestra and two prongs diverging from the midline towards the back of the skull table due to the presence of a dorsally exposed
supraoccipital. The surface of the parietal is dominated by a narrow trench between the fenestra, whose rims are raised.
Lower jaw Matching the sinuous margin of the upper jaw, the lower jaw displays the same gentle curvature that sets it apart from the straight jaws of animals like the modern gharial. This feature helps set apart the lower jaw of
Eoalligator from that of
Asiatosuchus nanlingensis, which has been interpreted as having possessed a more elongated snout with an almost straight dental margin. The
mandibular symphysis, the region at the front of the lower jaw where both mandibles meet, is short and extends only to the level of the fourth tooth of the
dentary. The
splenial approaches the symphysis, but stops just shy of actually participating in this region. The upper edge of the
surangular is of the same height as the ridge that sits towards the back of the
mandibular fossa, thereby hiding the latter when looking at the lower jaw from the side. The surangular furthermore preserves a depression immediately beside the fossa, a trait shared by
Asiatosuchus nanlingensis. This feature is unique for these two crocodilians, though it has been noted that a smaller sulcus can be seen in
Diplocynodon, although in the European genus its moved further towards the back of the mandible. It has also been noted that this sulcus might be variable across specimens of different ages, as some remains of
Eoalligator preserve a much more prominent depression, suggesting that it might grow less and less prominent as the animal grows. The surangular also covers the front of the
retroarticular process, although its true extent remains unknown due to damage suffered by the fossil. The
articular, like the splenial, is primarily visible when looking at the inner wall of the mandible, with most of it being covered by the surangularand
angular bone towards the outside. Its contact with the surangular is described as running anteroposteriorly, meaning from the front of the lower jaw to the back, and passes through the mandibular fossa.
Dentition A minimum of four
tooth sockets are preserved in each premaxilla of
Eoalligator, however as noted in the 2016 revision, the examined specimen was damaged towards the very front of the snout, likely meaning that the front most alveolus was destroyed prior to the fossils discovery. This would mean that
Eoalligator possessed a total of five premaxillary teeth per premaxilla. Of these, the third is the largest and the fifth is the smallest. The exact number of maxillary teeth is unknown, but Wang and colleagues describe them as blunt with smooth cutting edges and some compression, setting them apart from the very bulbous teeth of most early members of
Globidonta. The exact number of dentary teeth is similarly unknown, though Wang and colleagues identify some alveoli in one dentary as the fourth to the seventeenth, with more likely to have been present before and after. Young initially gave an estimated count of 23 dentary teeth. As in other orientalosuchins and many crocodilians in general, the fourth appears to have been the largest and would have slid into the fossa present between the premaxilla and maxilla. The 11th and 12th teeth of the lower jaw are also described as enlarged, though not as much as the fourth.
Size Eoalligator has been described as moderately-sized. ==Phylogeny==