Ornithosuchidae – Early Archosaurs with a Hyper-Specialized Jaw Apparatus

Among the early archosaurs, various ecological types are represented – from predators to herbivores, from terrestrial to semi-aquatic forms. A special place among them is occupied by the family Ornithosuchidae, which are traditionally considered as active predators. The unique structure of the jaw apparatus and the morphology of the postcranial skeleton of Ornithosuchidae indicate the formation in them the only special ecological type among archosaurs – a hyperanisodont macrophagous predator. At the same time, some analogies can be noted between ornithosuchids and saber-toothed therapsids and mammals.