Terrestrisuchus

Taxobox
name = "Terrestrisuchus"

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fossil_range = Late Triassic
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
superordo = Crocodylomorpha
subordo = Sphenosuchia
familia = Saltoposuchidae
genus = "Terrestrisuchus"

"Terrestrisuchus" ('land crocodile') is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph that was about 50 cm (1 ft 8 in) long.

"Terrestrisuchus" was a small, thin, lizard-like creature with long legs, bearing little to no resemblance to modern crocodiles, which are its distant relatives. It probably ran very fast, occasionally rearing up on its hind legs (though under normal circumstances, it was quadruped). Their legs were positioned directly beneath the body, meaning ancestral crocodiles such as Terrestrisuchus were cursorial and thus, their legs worked as pairs for galloping. Pseudo-galloping can be seen in modern crocs as they are known to use paired walking in rare but speed-dependent situations. Fossil evidence also shows that they were digitigrade, supporting their weight on only digits, or fingers.