Prestosuchus fossil map
Where fossils of Prestosuchus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 230 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 230 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Crocodile relatives |
|---|---|
| Lived | 241.464–227.3 million years ago (Ladinian to Carnian) |
| Periods | Triassic |
| Named by | Huene 1942 |
| Fossil records | 9 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Brazil |
| Rock formations | Santa Maria, Santa Maria , txn:NF |
About Prestosuchus
Prestosuchus (meaning "Prestes' crocodile") is an extinct genus of pseudosuchian in the group Loricata, from the Middle Triassic of Brazil. Prestosuchus is one of the largest and most extensively described early loricatans, known from many specimens including partial skeletons and enormous skulls. All undisputed Prestosuchus fossils are from the lower Santa Maria Formation (Dinodontosaurus assemblage zone) of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
The type species, Prestosuchus chiniquensis, was originally named by Friedrich von Huene in 1938, though its original fossils were rather fragmentary compared to later finds. There has been some debate over exactly how many species are contained within Prestosuchus. Some purported Prestosuchus species are at other times regarded as unrelated pseudosuchians, such as Procerosuchus, Schultzsuchus ("Prestosuchus loricatus"), and Stagonosuchus ("Prestosuchus nyassicus").
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Prestosuchus (revision 1374942007), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q133936.
