Saurosuchus

Saurosuchus (meaning "lizard crocodile") is an extinct genus of large loricatan pseudosuchian archosaurs that lived in South America during the Late Triassic period. The first and holotype specimen was discovered in 1957 by Galileo J. Scaglia and Leocadio Soria in the strata of the Ischigualasto Formation in northwestern Argentina. The type and only species, S. galilei, was named in 1959 by Osvaldo A. Reig. Several specimens, including an adult and multiple subadults, have been discovered since. Saurosuchus is estimated to have measured 5.5–7 m (18–23 ft) in length and to have weighed up to 590 kg (1,300 lb), making it one of the largest "rauisuchians". Its skull was large, measuring up to 58.6 cm (23.1 in), and was strongly convergent with that of large theropod dinosaurs. The skull was wider behind the eyes than in front of the eyes. Its neck was short and robust, and would have been powerfully muscled. At the back of the skull, the supraoccipital bone would have served as an attachment site for powerful neck ligaments. Saurosuchus inhabited a region dominated by floodplains and fluvial environments, which would have experienced seasonal rainfall. It would probably have been the apex predator of its environment. Endocast analysis of Saurosuchus' braincase suggests that it had a high hearing range, though was most attuned to detecting low-frequency sounds, and that it was heavily reliant on its sense of smell to locate sources of food.