Kostensuchus

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Kostensuchus is an extinct genus of hypercarnivorous notosuchian crocodylomorphs belonging to the family Peirosauridae, known from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian age) Chorrillo Formation of Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Kostensuchus atrox, known from a single well-preserved skeleton including an articulated skull and large parts of the postcranial skeleton. Kostensuchus has been recovered as part of a lineage of broad-snouted peirosaurids that are thought to have arisen towards the end of the Cretaceous from smaller, omnivorous ancestors. The animal's great size, robust head, and large, serrated teeth suggest that it was one of the apex predators of its ecosystem, likely feeding on medium-sized tetrapods like ornithischian dinosaurs. While Kostensuchus resembles the terrestrial baurusuchids in many aspects of its morphology, the hindlimbs appear to have assumed a more sprawling posture, which has been suggested to indicate a somewhat more semiaquatic lifestyle. The fossil remains of Kostensuchus were discovered in rock layers of the Maastrichtian lower Chorrillo Formation in the Argentine province of Santa Cruz. The holotype and only known specimen, MPM-PV 23554, consists of a well-preserved and articulated skull and much of the postcrania, missing limb elements and the tail. This makes Kostensuchus one of the most complete known peirosaurids and the most complete robust representative of the group. The generic name, Kostensuchus, derives in part from the Aonikenk word "kosten" for the Patagonian wind, as well as the Latinized Greek word "suchus", derived from the Egyptian deity Sebek (or Sobek). The specific name translates to "harsh" in Greek.