Kingdom Animalia Superorder Crocodylomorpha Family Alligatoridae Rank Genus | Class Sauropsida Superfamily Alligatoroidea Phylum Chordata Order Crocodiles | |
Similar Crocodiles, Anteosauridae, Mourasuchus, Araripesuchus wegeneri, Anteosaurus | ||
Not to be confused with Deinosuchus, a North American alligatoroid.
Dinosuchus is a problematic genus of extinct alligatorid crocodylomorph. It was very large compared to other alligatorids, save for the giant caiman Purussaurus and its closest relatives. The genus was first described in 1876 on the basis of a vertebra from the Brazilian Amazon, the type species being named D. terror. In 1921, a new species of Dinosuchus, D. neivensis, was named based on a large mandible that was discovered in Colombia. D. neivensis was later found to be synonymous with both Brachygnathosuchus braziliensis and Purussaurus brasiliensis, being reassigned in 1924 to the senior synonym P. brasiliensis. In 1965, D. terror was proposed to be a nomen vanum.
The name Dinosuchus means "terrible crocodile" in Greek. It is not to be confused with Deinosuchus, a large alligatoroid from Late Cretaceous North America.