Reptile
Postosuchus kirkpatricki
Postosuchus kirkpatrickiPostosuchus kirkpatricki reigned as an apex carnivore across Late Triassic North America roughly 220 to 205 million years ago, long before large predatory dinosaurs dominated the landscape. Possessing a massive, deep skull armed with serrated blade-like teeth and armored with rows of protective osteoderms along its back, it likely hunted in an upright, primarily bipedal posture. Its fossilized remains from the American Southwest reveal an evolutionary branch of crocodile-line archosaurs that occupied top ecological niches until the Triassic-Jurassic extinction.
CarnivorousFossil
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyPlacerias hesternus, Desmatosuchus spurensis, Coelophysis bauri
ThreatsTriassic-Jurassic extinction event, intense climate change, and volcanic disruptions
HabitatsRiparian floodplains, open woodlands, and semi-arid river basins of Late Triassic Pangaea
Life spanEstimated 20–30 years
Classification
- FamilyRauisuchidae
- GenusPostosuchus
- SpeciesPostosuchus kirkpatricki
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
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- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Extinct; known exclusively from fossil remains.
Responsible observation
- Museum viewing: Observe articulated skeletal casts on display at institutions such as the Texas Memorial Museum to appreciate its upright stance.
- Field prospecting: Leave any exposed fossil material in place on public lands, recording precise GPS coordinates for authorized paleontologists.
Image unavailablePrey Prey 
Competitor (c) Tim Evanson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-saClose Relative Same Family
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