#crocodilyian

[thecoffeeisblack]

Stages to finish for Saurosuchus galilei. 

[thecoffeeisblack]

Final for Saurosuchus galilei!

231.4 million years ago during the Late Triassic, an ancient apex predator slowly stalks its prey, moisture clings to the leaves of the surrounding foliage, on the horizon smoke and ash billow from a distant volcanic peak. Suddenly, without warning, the mighty beast breaks through the underbrush, lunging forward it bites down hard on a small rhynchosaur known as Hyperodapedon, the little reptile's body twitches as the last bit of life is squeezed out between the powerful crushing jaws of it's attacker.

This is Saurosuchus galilei, a land dwelling prehistoric relative of modern day crocodiles described scientifically in 1959, head to tail it measured some 23 feet in length and weighed over 1,000 pounds. It roamed what would eventually become known by humans as North Western Argentina, and it shared its environment with a wide variety of other creatures, such as early dinosaurs like Herrerasaurus and Eoraptor, as well as massive dicynodonts like Ischigualastia, Pound for pound it appears to have been the largest predator in the region it inhabited, but this weight and its likely cold-blooded metabolism likely slowed it down. It's long upright legs were not especially strong and probably limited its speed to something similar to that of a human, making them most likely an ambush predator rather than its faster dinosaurian neighbors. It possessed a skull similar in shape to that of a scaled down Tyrannosaurus rex, connected to its massive bulk by way of a muscular and powerful neck.

[thecoffeeisblack]

Some more color work in progress on Saurosuchus galilei.