Notosuchia: The bizarre, terrestrial crocodilians that evolved mammal-like teeth and armadillo-style armor

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Forget the swamp-dwelling predators you know. Notosuchia was a diverse group of terrestrial crocodilians that roamed the earth during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. From pug-faced herbivores to hypercarnivores with shearing jaws, these creatures evolved traits so strange they frequently challenge our understanding of crocodylomorph evolution.

First named in 1971 by Zulma Gasparini, Notosuchia represents a clade of primarily Gondwanan crocodylomorphs. Unlike modern crocodilians, these animals were generally small, slender, and possessed erect limbs suited for life on land. Their skull morphology is particularly diverse; while some species like Simosuchus featured broadened, pug-like faces, others such as Anatosuchus sported flat, duck-like snouts. These anatomical variations reflect a wide range of ecological niches, including herbivory, omnivory, and terrestrial hypercarnivory.

The most striking feature of many notosuchians is their dentition. Many genera exhibited heterodonty, meaning they had different types of teeth across their jaws, such as prominent, canine-like teeth at the front and molar-like teeth at the back. Some, like Yacarerani and Pakasuchus, possessed complex, multicuspid molars that could occlude, a trait remarkably similar to mammals. Furthermore, species like Malawisuchus developed jaw joints that allowed for a back-and-forth shearing motion, facilitating the processing of varied diets. Other members of the group, such as Armadillosuchus, evolved flexible, shield-like body armor reminiscent of modern armadillos.

The classification of Notosuchia remains a subject of intense scientific debate and frequent phylogenetic revision. Researchers have long debated whether groups like Sebecosuchia belong within Notosuchia or exist as a separate sister group. If Sebecosuchia is included, the clade's timeline extends into the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene, roughly 7 to 4.5 million years ago. Recent comprehensive analyses, such as those by Pol et al. in 2014 and Nicholl et al. in 2021, have utilized hundreds of morphological traits to map these relationships, yet the precise interrelationships between families remain uncertain. What is clear is that these animals were ectothermic, as confirmed by research on genera including Baurusuchus and Armadillosuchus.

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