GnathostomataPoposauroideaYPM 57100

Poposaurus gracilis

Poposaurus gracilis skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, length ~4.1 m.
Scale bar = 50 centimeters
Taxon
Poposaurus gracilis Mehl, 1915
Specimen
YPM 57100
Reconstructed length
~4.1 m (13 feet)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2017, revised 2026
Clade
  1. Gnathostomata
  2. Tetrapoda
  3. Amniota
  4. Sauropsida
  5. Archosauromorpha
  6. Archosauria
  7. Pseudosuchia
  8. Poposauroidea

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Poposaurus was (surprise!) a poposauroid, living in the Late Triassic of the southwestern United States. Despite looking superficially like a theropod dinosaur, poposaurs were on the crocodile line of archosaurs. Poposaurus seemed to have walked habitually on its hind legs, which is a striking example of convergence, and helps make it resemble the early predatory dinosaurs it shared its habitat with.