cebarsuch

Cebarsuch is a genus of extinct phytosaur from the Late Triassic period. Phytosaurs were a group of large, crocodile-like reptiles that lived during the Triassic, a time when dinosaurs were also beginning to diversify. Cebarsuch is known from fossil remains found in North Africa. The genus was named by Hans-Peter Schultze in 1999.

The type species, Cebarsuch pustigae, is the only species currently assigned to the genus. Fossil evidence suggests that Cebarsuch was a large predator, likely inhabiting freshwater environments such as rivers and lakes. Its elongated snout and sharp teeth are characteristic of phytosaur adaptations for catching fish and other aquatic prey. The distribution of phytosaur fossils, including those of Cebarsuch, indicates they were widespread across Pangaea, the supercontinent that existed during the Triassic.

Phytosaurs like Cebarsuch occupied ecological niches similar to modern crocodiles. They had a dorsal nostril placement, which allowed them to breathe while mostly submerged. The discovery of Cebarsuch contributes to our understanding of the diversity and evolution of pseudosuchians, the lineage of archosauriforms that includes crocodiles and their extinct relatives, during the Mesozoic Era. The extinction of phytosaurs at the end of the Triassic, likely due to environmental changes and competition, paved the way for the rise of dinosaurs in the Jurassic period.