Ornithosuchus

Ornithosuchus Temporal range: Late Triassic Carnian PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Family:	†Ornithosuchidae
Genus:	†Ornithosuchus Newton, 1894
Type species
†Ornithosuchus woodwardi Newton, 1894
Species
†Ornithosuchus longidens (Huxley, 1877)
Synonyms
Genus synonymy Dasygnathus Huxley, 1877 (preoccupied) Species synonymy Dasygnathus longidens Huxley, 1877 Ornithosuchus woodwardi Newton, 1894 Ornithosuchus taylori Broom, 1913

Ornithosuchus (meaning "bird crocodile") is an extinct genus of pseudosuchians from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland. It was originally thought to be the ancestor to the carnosaurian dinosaurs (such as Allosaurus). However, it is now known to be more closely related to crocodilians than to dinosaurs.

Despite this relationship to crocodiles, Ornithosuchus was able to walk on its hind legs, like many dinosaurs. However, it probably spent most of its time on all fours, only moving bipedally when it needed to run rapidly. Its skull also resembled those of theropod dinosaurs, but more primitive features included the presence of five toes on each foot and a double row of armoured plates along the animal's back. Ornithosuchus was around 4 metres (13 ft) in length.^[1]

Classification

Ornithosuchus and Hyperodapedon.

A single species of Ornithosuchus is recognized, O. longidens. The type species, O. woodwardi, is considered a junior synonym. O. longidens was originally named as "Dasygnathus" longidens, but the genus name Dasygnathus had already been used for a coleopteran insect, so despite being named later, the name Ornithosuchus remained in use for the genus. Ornithosuchus is the type genus of the Ornithosuchidae, a family of facultatively biped carnivores that were geographically widespread during the Late Triassic. Two other genera are currently known, Venaticosuchus and Riojasuchus.

References

1. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 97. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.

• Walker, A.D. (1964). "Triassic reptiles from the Elgin area: Ornithosuchus and the origin of carnosaurs". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 248(744): 53-134.