Thoosuchus fossil map
Where fossils of Thoosuchus have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 252 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 252 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 | Early tetrapods & amphibians |
|---|---|
| Lived | 251.902–247 million years ago |
| Periods | Triassic |
| Named by | Efremov 1940 |
| Fossil records | 17 occurrences at 17 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Russia |
| Rock formations | Kzylsaiskaya, Staritskaya, Vetlugian Series, txn:NF, Rybinsk, Mechet' |
About Thoosuchus
Thoosuchus (meaning "active crocodile") is an extinct genus of basal trematosauroid trematosaurian temnospondyl. Fossils have been found from Russia and date back to the Early Triassic. It is the type genus of the family Thoosuchidae, formerly called the subfamily Thoosuchinae and placed within Benthosuchidae. The benthosuchids were originally composed of the majority of basal trematosaurian forms regarded as the ancestors of the trematosaurids.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Thoosuchus (revision 1354655380), 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: Q7795998.
