Clade Archosauria Rank Genus | Class Reptilia Phylum Chordata | |
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Similar Rauisuchia, Rauisuchidae, Batrachotomus, Gracilisuchus, Arizonasaurus | ||
Ticinosuchus ferox vs ornithosuchus longidens
Ticinosuchus is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian archosaur from the Middle Triassic (Anisian - Ladinian) of Switzerland and Italy.
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Discovery
One of only a handful of fossil reptiles that have been found in Switzerland, Ticinosuchus (meaning "Ticino river crocodile") was about 3 metres (10 ft) long, and its whole body, even the belly, was covered in thick, armoured scutes. The structure of the hips shows that its legs were placed under the body almost vertically. Coupled with the development of a calcaneus and a specialized ankle joint, this would have made Ticinosuchus a fast runner, unlike most earlier reptiles.
Ticinosuchus is thought to be very close to or possible even the same species that made the Cheirotherium trace fossils found in Germany. It too shows a narrow track-way, similar to that of Tinicosuchus.