Daily Dose of Prehistory Revival 11: Postosuchus kirkpatricki

Postosuchus kirkpatricki, meaning "Kirkpatrick's Crocodile From Post", was an extinct species of rauisuchid reptiles that lived in what is now the American Southeest during the Late Triassic about 221 to 203 million years ago. It was large for the time, measuring about 13 to 16 feet long from nose to tail and weighing anywhere from 550 to 660 pounds. It was covered in osteoderms (basically hunks of bone embedded in the skin also seen in their crocodilian cousins as well as in giant ground sloths) and had a deep and broad skull filled with dagger-like teeth. It had large eyes and nostrils as well as possibly having a Jacobson's Organ like modern snakes. It was the top predator of the time and location, dwarfing the smaller dinosaurs like Coelophysis, and likely preyed on anything smaller than it like dicynodonts. Based on its forelimbs being much smaller than its hindlimbs as well as the shape of its hips/pelvis, Postosuchus was likely either a facultative biped or obligate biped.