Rauisuchia

Abstract

Abstract ‘Rauisuchia’ comprises Triassic pseudosuchians that ranged greatly in body size, locomotor styles and feeding ecologies. Our concept of what constitutes a rauisuchian is changing as a result of discoveries over the last 15 years. New evidence has shown that rauisuchians are probably not a natural (monophyletic) group, but instead are a number of smaller clades (e.g. Rauisuchidae, Ctenosauriscidae, Shuvosauridae) that may not be each other's closest relatives within Pseudosuchia. Here, we acknowledge that there are still large gaps in the basic understanding in the alpha-level taxonomy and relationships of these groups, but good progress is being made. As a result of renewed interest in rauisuchians, an expanding number of recent studies have focused on the growth, locomotor habits, and biomechanics of these animals, and we review these studies here. We are clearly in the midst of a renaissance in our understanding of rauisuchian evolution and the continuation of detailed descriptions, the development of explicit phylogenetic hypotheses, and explicit palaeobiological studies are essential in advancing our knowledge of these extinct animals.