Prehistoric life
A cousin of modern crocodiles, Postosuchus was an archosaur - the lineage of reptiles that include the crocodiles, dinosaurs and birds. Reaching lengths of five metres, Postosuchus was the top predator during the Late Triassic in what's now the southern USA. Since its front limbs were shorter than its hind limbs, there is debate as to whether it walked on two legs or four, but most palaeontologists favour the latter. Its stance, with the legs under the body, would have made it a faster and more efficient runner than a modern crocodile. Most Postosuchus fossils have been found in Texas' Post quarry, hence the name.
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Border dispute
There's only room for one Postosuchus in a dry valley territory.
There's only room for one Postosuchus in a dry valley territory.
Hungry mouths
A flock of Coelophysis takes advantage of a once mighty, dying Postosuchus.
A flock of Coelophysis takes advantage of a once mighty, dying Postosuchus.
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Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Discover the other animals and plants that lived during the following geological time periods.
Triassic period
Desert Earth
Triassic-Jurassic mass extinctionPostosuchus, meaning "crocodile from Post (Garza, Texas)", is an extinct genus of rauisuchian reptiles comprising two species, P. kirkpatricki and P. alisonae, that lived in what is now North America during the Middle and Late Triassic (about 228-202 million years ago). Postosuchus is a member of the clade Pseudosuchia, the lineage of archosaurs that includes modern crocodilians (the other main group of archosaurs is Avemetatarsalia, the lineage that includes non-avian dinosaurs and their descendants, birds). Its name refers to Post Quarry, a place in Texas where many fossils of the type species, P. kirkpatricki, were found. It was one of the apex predators of its area during the Triassic, larger than the small dinosaur predators of its time (such as Coelophysis). It was a hunter which probably preyed on dicynodonts and many other creatures smaller than itself.
The skeleton of Postosuchus is large and robust with a deep skull and a long tail. The total body length is about 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 ft). Although the heavy build of the skeleton suggests that Postosuchus walked on all four limbs, the extreme shortness of the forelimbs relative to the hind limbs is a strong indication that Postosuchus was able to walk on two legs and may even have been committed to bipedal locomotion.
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Predation defence
Carnivorous
Egg layer
Predator
Adapted to running