Desmatosuchus

Desmatosuchus spurensis · Desmatosuchus was a large, heavily armored, extinct reptile that lived in North America, and possibly India, during the Late Triassic.

It lived about 228 to 210 million years ago.

Desmatosuchus
Photo: Nobu Tamura (https://spinops.blogspot.com), CC BY 2.5
Desmatosuchus
Photo: mark byzewski, CC BY 2.0
Desmatosuchus
Photo: Frank Kovalchek from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderAetosauria
FamilyStagonolepididae
GenusDesmatosuchus
SpeciesDesmatosuchus spurensis

Where its fossils were found

Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, USA; possibly India.

Fun facts

  • Desmatosuchus had large "shoulder spikes" sticking out from its shoulder blades, which were its most distinctive feature.
  • Its front body spine was huge, about 28 centimeters long, and curved backward.
  • Desmatosuchus had a toothless, shovel-like snout tip covered in a horny sheath, which it likely used to dig up soft plants.
  • Several skeletons found together in small areas suggest Desmatosuchus may have traveled in herds or family groups.

Play it

The Desmatosuchus was the creature in the Dinosaur daily on October 21, 2026. Can you identify tomorrow's from its photos? Every day brings a new creature to place from kingdom to genus, map and name.

Play today's creature or replay a past daily

Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).