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Venaticosuchus Temporal range: Late Triassic |
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| Venaticosuchus rusconii | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Pseudosuchia |
| Family: | †Ornithosuchidae |
| Genus: |
†Venaticosuchus Bonaparte, 1971 |
| Species | |
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Venaticosuchus is a genus of Late Triassic quadrupedal crurotarsan archosaur. It was a medium-sized predator, reaching up to 2 m (7 ft) in length. Originally it was thought to be the ancestor to the carnosaur dinosaurs (which then included Tyrannosaurus); however, now it is known to be more closely related to crocodilians than dinosaurs. It was a carnivore.
A single species of Venaticosuchus has been described, the type species, V. rusconii from the Late Triassic of Argentina, around 210 million years ago.
Venaticosuchus is a member of Ornithosuchidae, a family of facultatively bipedal carnivores that were geographically widespread during the Late Triassic. Two other genera, Ornithosuchus and Riojasuchus, are currently known.