Type
Species: Postosuchus kirkpatricki
Pronunciation:
Post-oh-soo-kuss
Geological
Layer: Upper Triassic
Baramin:
Rauisuchid?
Habitat:
Triassic Floodplains
Era:
Pre-Flood-Post-Flood, 6,000-?
Pre-Fall
Diet: Plants
Post-Fall
Diet: Meat
Length:
13-16 ft.
Height:
4-6 ft.
Weight:
550-660 lbs
Postosuchus
was a ferocious archosaur from
the Triassic habitat. Along with a long tail and limbs that were held
underneath its body, like those on a dinosaur and unlike those of a
crocodile or lizard, which sprawl out to the sides, Postosuchus
has a large set of jaws. This animal's skull, which was made narrow
in the front and extended wide and deep behind, was about 55
centimeters in length and 21 inches deep. The jaws of this monster
would have made short work of anything unfortunate enough to get
caught. To add to its crocodile-like appearance, it had osteoderms –
also known as thick plates which were forming scales – covering its
neck, back and tail.
There
has been much debate over whether Postosuchus
was quadrupedal or bipedal – that is, walked on two or four legs.
Some scientists believe that Postosuchus
walked on four legs because it's body was too heavily built to walk
otherwise. Others instead believe that this reptile was a biped
because its front legs were more than half as short as its rear legs.
Perhaps the answer is somewhere in the middle, making Postosuchus
a faculative biped, meaning it spent time walking in a bipedal and
quadrupedal fashion.
The
very first fossils of Postosuchus
were discovered in Crosby County, Texas and were thought to be a
species of dinosaur. This animal was named in 1985, but it wasn't
described until 1922 by paleontologist Ermine Cowles Case.
Despite
it's appearance, Postosuchus
was not a dinosaur, or even a crocodile, despite the fact that its
name means “crocodile from Post [Texas]”. This reptile was
actually a rauisuchian reptile. It is likely the scientific
classification rauisuchidae is the creature's baramin.
There
are two known species of Postosuchus:
P. kirkpatricki and P.
alisonae.
Paleobiology:
Postosuchus
kirkpatricki is mostly found in
the southwestern portion of the United States in states such as
Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, while Postosuchus alisonae
was discovered in 2008 as far east as North Carolina. When the animal
was alive, it lived in a tropical environment filled with floodplains
and a variety of plant life, including ferns and cycads. The rivers
running through its habitat were loaded with fish and amphibians.
Other animals known to live with Postosuchus
include Rutiodon,
Coelophysis and
Placerias.
Postosuchus
was not only a carnivore, but the largest carnivore in its Triassic
environment. It would have happily eaten just about anything that
moved and would have made short work of its prey using its sharp
teeth and strong jaws. Even though, like every other animal, this
reptile ate plants before the Fall of Man, Postosuchus
was designed to kill because God knew that mankind would eventually
sin and some creatures would turn to carnivorous diets. In its
predatory arsenal, it bore a single large claw on each “hand”
that would have been used as an offensive weapon. Thanks to its large
eyes, this animal had a good sense of sight and its jaws held large
serrated teeth.
Postosuchus
probably made a meal of lots of different species of reptiles,
including dinosaurs such as Coelophysis and
dicynodonts like Placerias,
among other things. One specimen of Postosuchus
from North Carolina was found with at least four other animals in its
stomach including a species of cynodont called Plinthogomphodon
and a couple of bones from a dicynodont.
Extinction:
Being
a land animal, a male and female pair of Postosuchus (or one
of its relations) went aboard
Noah's Ark 4,350 years ago before Noah's Flood wiped the earth clean
of every air-breathing terrestrial creature and all the humans except
Noah and his family. After the Flood, Postosuchus
went extinct either due to environmental stress and/or human
interference (e.g. hunting and/or habitat disturbance).
Popular
Culture:
Postosuchus
has made an appearance in BBC's series Walking with
Dinosaurs (1999). The series
stared a large female that not only was successful in bringing down a
Placerias, but also
became wounded by one later in the episode. The wound turned fatal
and the Postosuchus'
body became no more than a banquet for a flock of Coelophysis.
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