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ORNITHOSUCHUS
(or-nif-oh-soo-kus)
meaning: "Bird crocodile"
Ornithosuchus
Named By: Thomas Henry Huxley in 1877
Time Period: Late Triassic Carnian
Location: Scotland
Size: 4 meters long
Diet: Carnivore
Fossil(s): At least three specimens
Classification: | Chordata | Reptilia | Archosauria | Crurotarsi | Pseudosuchia | Ornithosuchidae |
Also known as: | Dasygnathus longidens | Ornithosuchus taylori | Ornithosuchus woodwardi |
About

Ornithosuchus (meaning "bird crocodile") is an extinct genus of pseudosuchians from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland. It was originally thought to be the ancestor to the carnosaurian dinosaurs (such as Allosaurus). However, it is now known to be more closely related to crocodilians than to dinosaurs.

Despite this relationship to crocodiles, Ornithosuchus was able to walk on its hind legs, like many dinosaurs. However, it probably spent most of its time on all fours, only moving bipedally when it needed to run rapidly. Its skull also resembled those of theropod dinosaurs, but more primitive features included the presence of five toes on each foot and a double row of armoured plates along the animal's back. Ornithosuchus was around 4 metres (13 ft) in length.

Read more about Ornithosuchus at Wikipedia
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