Ornithosuchidae—Early Archosaurs with a Hyperspecialized Jaw Apparatus

Abstract

Early archosaurs included a range of ecological types—from predators to herbivores and from terrestrial to semi-aquatic forms. Members of the family Ornithosuchidae, traditionally considered active predators, occupy a special position. Their characteristic jaw apparatus structure and the morphology of their postcranial skeleton suggest the development of a unique ecological type among archosaurs, namely, a medium-sized hyperanisodont macrophagous predator. At the same time, some analogs can be noted between ornithosuchids, saber-toothed therapsids, and mammals.