Prestosuchus

Prestosuchus is an extinct genus of a group of rauisuchians called prestosuchids. Like its prestosuchid cousins, Prestosuchus had a deep skull, and serrated teeth. Prestosuchus lived in Brazil of the Late Triassic Period. It reached lengths of nearly 5 metres. While it resembled a dinosaur in having a large body and upright posture it was actually a rauisuchian archosaur. It was an ambush predator and may have hunted smaller animals like Scaphonyx. Prestosuchus had powerful legs that indicate it was a fast runner. Its closest relatives are Saurosuchus and Postosuchus.

The Prestosuchus chiniquensis was discovered in the Paleontological Site Chiniquá, near the city of São Pedro do Sul in 1938, the famous paleontologist Friedrich von Huene on a trip to Brazil. This site is located in the geopark of paleorrota.