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Postosuchus
''Postosuchus'', meaning "crocodile from Post", is an extinct genus of rauisuchid reptiles comprising two species, ''P. kirkpatricki'' and ''P. alisonae'', that lived in what is now North America during the Late Triassic. ''Postosuchus'' is a member of the clade Pseudosuchia, the lineage of archosaurs that includes modern crocodilians (the other main group of archosaurs is Avemetatarsalia, the lineage that includes non-avian dinosaurs and their descendants, birds). Its name refers to Post Quarry, a place in Texas where many fossils of the type species, ''P. kirkpatricki'', were found. It was one of the apex predators of its area during the Triassic, larger than the small dinosaur predators of its time (such as ''Coelophysis''). It was a hunter which probably preyed on dicynodonts and many other creatures smaller than itself.
The skeleton of ''Postosuchus'' is large and robust with a deep skull and a long tail. The total body length is about .〔 The extreme shortness of the forelimbs relative to the hind limbs, the very small hands, and measurements of the vertebrae suggest that ''Postosuchus'' may have been committed to bipedal locomotion.
==Description==
''Postosuchus'' was one of the largest carnivorous reptiles during the late Triassic. Adults reached around in height, in length from snout to tail tip and their mass might have ranged from .〔Chatterjee (1985), p. 432.〕 It had a massively built skull bearing dagger-like teeth.〔Chatterjee (1985), p. 401.〕 The neck was elongated, expanding to a short torso and long tail. Along with remains of the skeleton, paleontologists also identify osteoderms, which were thick plates forming scales. These were on its back, neck, and possibly above or under the tail.
The neck of ''Postosuchus'' consists of at least eight cervical vertebrae followed by sixteen dorsals, while four co-ossified sacral vertebrae supported the hips.〔Chatterjee (1985), p. 415.〕 It is thought to be over thirty vertebrae in the tail decreasing in size to the end.〔 The pelvis with the hooked pubis and the rod-like ischium looked like those of carnosaur dinosaurs.〔Chatterjee (1985), p. 422.〕 The ribcage of ''Postosuchus'' had typical archosaur structure, composed of large and slender, curved ribs.〔Chatterjee (1985), p. 418.〕 In some discoveries ribs were found associated with gastralia, dermal bones which located in the ventral region of the body.〔Peyer ''et al.'' (2008), p. 370.〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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