Lagosuchus - Facts and Figures

Name: Lagosuchus (Greek for rabbit crocodile); pronounced LAY-go-SOO-cuss Habitat: Woodlands of South America Historical Period: Middle Triassic (230 million years ago) Size and Weight: About a foot long and one pound Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Tiny size; bipedal posture; long hind legs About Lagosuchus Although it wasnt a true dinosaur, many paleontologists believe Lagosuchus may have been the genus of archosaur from which all dinosaurs subsequently evolved. This tiny reptile certainly had plenty of dinosaur-like characteristics, including long legs, large feet, a flexible tail, and (at least some of the time) a bipedal posture, giving it an uncanny similarity to the first theropods of the middle to late Triassic period. If you doubt that a mighty race of dinosaurs could have evolved from a tiny creature that weighed about a pound, keep in mind that all of todays mammals--including whales, hippopotamuses, and elephants--can trace their lineage back to comparably tiny, shrew-like mammals that scurried under the feet of huge dinosaurs a hundred million years ago! (By the way, among paleontologists, the genus Marasuchus is often used interchangeably with Lagosuchus, since its represented by more complete fossil remains.)