Proterosuchus

Proterosuchus Temporal range: Early Triassic, 252–250 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Skull of P. fergusi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauromorpha
Clade:	Archosauriformes
Family:	†Proterosuchidae
Genus:	†Proterosuchus Broom, 1903
Type species
†Proterosuchus fergusi Broom, 1903
Species
†Proterosuchus alexanderi (Haughton, 1965) †Proterosuchus fergusi Broom, 1903 †Proterosuchus goweri Ezcurra & Butler, 2015
Synonyms
Chasmatosaurus Haughton, 1924 Elaphrosuchus Broom, 1946

Proterosuchus is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptiles that lived during the Early Triassic. It contains three valid species: the type species P. fergusi and the referred species P. alexanderi and P. goweri. All three species lived in what is now South Africa. The genus was named in 1903 by the South African paleontologist Robert Broom. The genus Chasmatosaurus is a junior synonym of Proterosuchus.

Proterosuchus was a mid-sized quadrupedal reptile with a sprawling stance that could reach a length of up to 3.5 meters (11 ft). It had a large head and distinctively hooked snout. It was a predator, which may have hunted prey such as Lystrosaurus. The lifestyle of Proterosuchus remains debated; it may have been terrestrial or it may have been a semiaquatic ambush predator similar to modern crocodiles.

Proterosuchus is one of the earliest members of the clade Archosauriformes, which also includes crocodilians, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs, including birds. It lived in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic extinction event, the largest known mass extinction in the timeline of Earth's history.