Batrachotomus

Batrachotomus Temporal range: Ladinian, Middle Triassic, 242–237 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Reconstructed skeleton, Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Clade:	Archosauria
Clade:	Pseudosuchia
Clade:	Loricata
Genus:	†Batrachotomus Gower, 1999
Species:	†B. kupferzellensis
Binomial name
†Batrachotomus kupferzellensis Gower, 1999

Batrachotomus /ˌbætrəˈkɒtoʊməs/ is a genus of prehistoric archosaur. Fossils of this animal have been found in southern Germany and dated from the Ladinian stage of the Middle Triassic period, around 242 to 237 million years ago. Batrachotomus was described by palaeontologist David J. Gower 22 years after its discovery.

The locality where Batrachotomus lived was a swampy region and the name comes from the Greek batrachos/βάτραχος (frog) and tome/τομή (cutting, slicing), which refers to its preying on the large amphibian Mastodonsaurus.^[1] In contrast with sprawling reptiles, like crocodiles, this large carnivore was very agile with locomotor superiority due to its erect stance. A remarkable feature seen on its back was a row of paired, flattened bony plates. Batrachotomus was possibly an early relative of Postosuchus,^[2] which lived during the dawn of the dinosaurs.