Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
268 / Mesozoic
Postosuchus
Postosuchus kirkpatricki
A deep skull, serrated teeth and powerful hind limbs placed it atop food webs before dinosaur dominance.
View original image · 1536 × 1024- Time range
- About 228–204 million years ago
- Final stage
- Late Triassic
- Geographic range
- Seasonal river plains · North America
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Postosuchus?
Postosuchus (Postosuchus kirkpatricki) was an extinct organism known from About 228–204 million years ago, with a range in Seasonal river plains · North America.
Life and ecology
Postosuchus was a rauisuchid relative of crocodilians, mainly quadrupedal but capable of raising its front body. Rows of osteoderms protected its back.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Postosuchus disappear?
Most large pseudosuchian lineages disappeared in the end-Triassic extinction; the youngest record of Postosuchus lies close to, but not demonstrably at, that event.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Postosuchus?
Southwestern US skeletons preserve the skull, teeth, armor and strongly unequal limbs.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS