Ornithosuchus

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Ornithosuchus
Fossil range: Late Triassic
Ornithosuchus longidens
Ornithosuchus longidens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Infraclass: Archosauromorpha
(unranked) Crurotarsi
Family: Ornithosuchidae
Genus: Ornithosuchus
Species
  • O. longidens (type)

Ornithosuchus ("bird crocodile") is an extinct genus of crurotarsan from the Late Triassic of Scotland. Originally it was thought to be the ancestor to the carnosaur dinosaurs (which then included Tyrannosaurus), however now it is known to be more closely related to crocodilians than dinosaurs.

[edit] Species

Ornithosuchus and Hyperodapedon.
Ornithosuchus and Hyperodapedon.

A single species of Ornithosuchus has been described, the type species, O. longidens.

[edit] Closely related species

Ornithosuchus is the type genus of Ornithosuchidae, a family of facultatively biped carnivores that were geographically widespread during the Late Triassic. Two other genera are currently known, Venaticosuchus and Riojasuchus.