Posted Protosuchus

The first crocodile is one of the earliest of the Crocodylomorphs of the early Jurassic. Shorter and lighter than most extant crocodilians, the 1 meter, 40 kilogram Protosuchus was a genus consisting of 3 species. The species all possess short skulls with broad bases allowing for expansive muscle attachments. The gape and force of the jaws was increased with these adaptations of the skull. Additionally, the teeth resembled modern relatives and the back even possessed similar dermal scutes and ridges. The back legs were longer than the front legs, and the tail shows signs of having muscle attachment sites that indicate strengthening of the tail muscles that would become more important as crocodilians became more adapted to aquatic lifestyles.

©Nobu Tamura