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'''''Prestosuchus''''' is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian in the family Prestosuchidae. Friedrich von Huene named the genus in honor of Vicentino Prestes de Almeida. |
'''''Prestosuchus''''' is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian in the family Prestosuchidae. Friedrich von Huene named the genus in honor of Vicentino Prestes de Almeida. |
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Like its prestosuchid cousins, Prestosuchus had a deep skull and serrated teeth. Prestosuchus lived in Brazil (Paleorrota) of the Late Triassic Period. It reached lengths of nearly 5 metres. While it resembled a dinosaur in having a large body and upright posture it was actually a rauisuchian archosaur. It was an ambush predator and may have hunted smaller animals like Hyperodapedon. Prestosuchus had powerful legs that indicate it was a fast runner. Its closest relatives are Saurosuchus and Postosuchus. |
Like its prestosuchid cousins, Prestosuchus had a deep skull and serrated teeth. Prestosuchus lived in Brazil (Paleorrota) of the Late Triassic Period. It reached lengths of nearly 5 metres. While it resembled a dinosaur in having a large body and upright posture it was actually a rauisuchian archosaur. It was an ambush predator and may have hunted smaller animals like Hyperodapedon. Prestosuchus had powerful legs that indicate it was a fast runner. Its closest relatives are Saurosuchus and Postosuchus. |
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Revision as of 02:18, 6 February 2013
| Prestosuchus | ||||
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| Name | Prestosuchus | |||
| Period | Late Triassic | |||
| Diet | Carnivore | |||
Prestosuchus is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian in the family Prestosuchidae. Friedrich von Huene named the genus in honor of Vicentino Prestes de Almeida. Like its prestosuchid cousins, Prestosuchus had a deep skull and serrated teeth. Prestosuchus lived in Brazil (Paleorrota) of the Late Triassic Period. It reached lengths of nearly 5 metres. While it resembled a dinosaur in having a large body and upright posture it was actually a rauisuchian archosaur. It was an ambush predator and may have hunted smaller animals like Hyperodapedon. Prestosuchus had powerful legs that indicate it was a fast runner. Its closest relatives are Saurosuchus and Postosuchus.
Prestosuchus chiniquensis was discovered in the Paleontological Site Chiniquá, near the city of São Pedro do Sul in 1938, by the German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene on a trip to Brazil. This site is located in the geopark of Paleorrota.[1] A remarkably complete skeleton, with a well-preserved hind leg, was discovered at Dona Francisca in Rio Grande do Sul by a team of paleontologists from the Universidade Luterana do Brasil and published in 2010.[2]
Fossil of Prestosuchus