Is the Postosuchus a dinosaur?
Postosuchus (Crocodile from Post) was a basal archosaur which lived in what is now North America during the middle to the late Triassic. It was not a dinosaur, having a closer relationship to crocodiles, and was even at a higher level on the food chain than the dinosaurs it lived near and preyed on.
Is Postosuchus related to crocodiles?
Postosuchus is a member of the clade Pseudosuchia, the lineage of archosaurs that includes modern crocodilians (the other main group of archosaurs is Avemetatarsalia, the lineage that includes non-avian dinosaurs and their descendants, birds).
How did Postosuchus go extinct?
The ambush hunting strategy of Postosuchus and other rauisuchians became less effective in this new environment, where they could not compete with dinosaurs. They began to decline and soon became extinct at the end of the Triassic, while the dinosaurs proliferated.
When did Postosuchus go extinct?
It went extinct at the end of the Triassic, possibly because of competition from dinosaurs, its close Archosaurian cousins – though it should be noted that there was also a huge extinction event at the Triassic-Jurassic Period boundary, which killed off thousands of species of ancient reptiles and amphibians as well as …
Did Postosuchus walk two legs?
Because of this, Postosuchus was often depicted as being able to walk on four or two legs when alive. However, we now know that it was much more likely to have been an obligate biped, only able to walk on its hind legs, like most theropod dinosaurs.
What is unique about the lizard Postosuchus?
Postosuchus belonged to a family of reptiles called rauisuchians. Unlike lizards which have sprawling legs, the rauisuchians had pillar-like, upright legs. This is a sign that they were agile, active predators (hunters) like the giant predatory dinosaurs that evolved later.
What did Coelophysis eat?
Early carnivores Early meat-eating dinosaurs like Coelophysis relied on their speed and agility to catch a variety of animals like insects and small reptiles. The sharp teeth and grasping claws of Coelophysis would have helped them to hold and kill their food.
Was Coelophysis a raptor?
Coelophysis is at the base of the family tree of many dinosaurs including all the Dilophosaurs, Oviraptors, Ornithomimids and the popular “raptor” family, which includes Velociraptor, Utahraptor, and Deinonychus.
Are Coelophysis cannibals?
“Our research shows that the evidence for cannibalism in Coelophysis is non-existent, and the evidence for cannibalism in other theropod dinosaurs is quite thin. These findings offer new insight into the behavior of some of the earliest dinosaurs,” Mr. Nesbitt said.