Shansisuchus (means 'crocodile from the Shansi Province') was an erythrosuchid

Erythrosuchidae

Erythrosuchidae are a family of large basal archosauromorph carnivores that lived from the later Early Triassic to the early Middle Triassic . Their fossil remains are known so far from South Africa , the Perm region of Russia, and China...

, a type of carnivorous prehistoric reptile

Reptile

Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...

 that lived some 220 million years ago during the middle Triassic

Triassic

The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...

 Period in what is now Shansi Province in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

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General information

A meat eater, it belonged to the successful group of reptiles known as archosauromorphs, ancestors of the earliest true archosaur

Archosaur

Archosaurs are a group of diapsid amniotes whose living representatives consist of modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes all extinct non-avian dinosaurs, many extinct crocodilian relatives, and pterosaurs. Archosauria, the archosaur clade, is a crown group that includes the most...

s. Although only 7.2 feet long and 1.6 feet tall, Shansisuchus was a fierce hunter with powerfully developed jaws. It is believed that it could move quite quickly for its size and fed on smaller, less agile reptiles around at the time.