Postosuchus

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Postosuchus (meaning "crocodile from Post") is an extinct genus of rauisuchid that lived in what is now North America during the Late Triassic. The genus comprises two species, P. kirkpatricki and P. alisonae, and belongs to the clade Pseudosuchia, the archosaur lineage that includes modern crocodilians. The name refers to Post Quarry in Texas, where numerous fossils of the type species, P. kirkpatricki, were discovered. Pseudosuchia is one of the two major archosaur lineages, the other being Avemetatarsalia, which includes birds and their extinct relatives. Postosuchus was one of the apex predators of its region during the Triassic, exceeding contemporary small predatory dinosaurs such as Coelophysis in size. It likely preyed on large herbivores including dicynodonts, as well as small early dinosaurs. It had a robust skeleton, a deep skull and a long tail and reached an estimated length of 5–6 m (16–20 ft) or more. The disproportionate shortness of its forelimbs relative to its hind...

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