Ornithosuchus

Ornithosuchus (from , "bird" and , "crocodile") is an extinct genus of pseudosuchians from the Late Triassic (Carnian) Lossiemouth Sandstone of Scotland. It was originally thought to be the ancestor to the carnosaurian dinosaurs (such as Allosaurus), but it is now known to be more closely related to crocodilians than to dinosaurs.

==Description== thumb|left|Ornithosuchus and Hyperodapedon Despite this relationship to crocodiles, Ornithosuchus was able to walk on its hind legs, like many dinosaurs. It probably spent most of its time on all fours, though, only moving bipedally when it needed to run rapidly. Its skull also resembled those of theropod dinosaurs, but its more primitive features included the presence of five toes on each foot and a double row of armoured plates along the animal's back. Ornithosuchus has traditionally been estimated at a length around .