Hupehsuchus

thumb|left|Life restoration of Hupehsuchus nanchangensis Hupehsuchus is an extinct genus of small marine reptiles, about 1 m (3 ft) long, found in the area of Hubei in China. This marine reptile lived in the Olenekian stage of the Early Triassic period.

==Description== thumb|left|Specimen on display at the Paleozoological Museum of China Hupehsuchus was similar to its close relative, Nanchangosaurus, but differed from it in a number of ways. For example, Hupehsuchus had heavier armor on its back than Nanchangosaurus, and its back spines were more finely divided, giving it a more crocodile-like appearance than Nanchangosaurus. It had a thin, long snout like a gharial, river dolphin, or ichthyosaur, which it probably used to snag fish or probe for aquatic invertebrates. A 2023 study by Zi-Chen Fang and coauthors suggests, based on cranial anatomy paralleling that of baleen whales, that Hupehsuchus could have been a filter feeder. However, this was contested by a 2025 study by Ryosuke Motani and coauthors, who found its skull anatomy dissimilar to baleen whales and anatomically unsuitable for filter feeding, instead noting similarities to pelicans, and arguing that a pelican-like feeding style was more probable.