The skull of Postosuchus was constructed narrow in front and extended wide and deep behind. However, it has also been suggested by some palaeontologists that Postosuchus might possibly have been a facultative biped, meaning that it alternated between walking bipedally, occasionally, and quadrupedally. There is debate over whether Postosuchus was bipedal or quadrupedal and scientists aren't certain, yet, about its gait. However, in 1995 Robert Long and Phillip A Murry stated that Postosuchus was heavily built and quadrupedal. Chatterjee suggested that Postosuchus could walk in an erect stance, since the short forelimbs were probably used only during slow locomotion. This characteristic of short forelimbs can usually be seen in bipedal reptiles. Rows of protective plates covering its back formed a defensive shield.Įach one of Postosuchus's two forelimbs was slightly over half the size of the hindlimbs. A crocodile-like snout, filled with many large-sized dagger-like teeth, was used to kill its prey. It was about 4–5 meters long (12–15 feet), and was held up by columnar legs (a quite uncommon feature in reptiles). This carnivore attacked with its large curved claws. Postosuchus was a quadrupedal reptile with a wide skull and a long tail. It was a hunter which probably preyed on dicynodonts and many other creatures smaller than itself. 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). Its name refers to Post Quarry, a place in Texas where many fossils of this genus were found. It was a rauisuchian, a close relative of crocodiles, as a member of the clade Pseudosuchia (or Crurotarsi) which, along with the lineage that led to dinosaurs and Birds, forms Archosauria. Postosuchus, meaning 'crocodile from Post ( Garza, Texas)', was a basal archosaur that lived in what is now North America during the middle through to the late Triassic period (228-202 million years ago). Skeleton at the Museum of Texas Tech University, near Post, Texas

Walking with dinosaurs postosuchus