Protosuchus

Live reconstruction of Protosuchus

• Worldwide

• P. richardsoni (Brown, 1933) ( type )
• P. haughtoni ( Whetstone and Whybrow, 1983)
• P. micmac Sues et al. 1996

Protosuchus is an extinct genus of carnivorous Crocodylomorpha of the Lower Jurassic. The name Protosuchus means " first crocodile ", and is among the earliest animals to the crocodiles most similar. Protosuchus was about 1 meter long and weighed about 30 to 45 kilograms.

As an early relative of crocodiles, showing his broad skull crocodile more features than its earlier ancestors; He had short jaw, the more strongly broadened and offered a large surface area for the attachment of the jaw muscles at the base of the skull. This could be the mouth open and also increased the power of the jaw with which they were closed. The dentition of the animals also resembled that of modern crocodiles, including the teeth in the lower jaw that fit into the recesses of the upper jaw when the mouth was closed. They also had a thick powerful tail.

The back was covered with a double row of bony plates.

In contrast to today's crocodiles he wore his body far above the ground. His legs were long and slender, and his thin feet with five toes had claws. This suggests the Protosuchus was a good runner and rather than hunting on land in the water.

Synonyms

• Baroqueosuchus Busbey and Gow, 1984
• Lesothosuchus Whetstone and Whybrow, 1983

Species

Three types of Protosuchus have been described: the type P. richardsoni from Arizona, USA, P. micmac from Nova Scotia, Canada, and P. haughtoni from South Africa, also fossil remains have been found in Antarctica.