Protosuchus

 Protosuchus is an extinct genus of carnivorous crocodylomorph from the Early Jurassic. The name Protosuchus means "first crocodile", and is among the earliest animals that resemble crocodilians. Protosuchus was about 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length and about 40 kilograms (88 lb) in weight.

Description
As an early crocodile relative, its skull featured more crocodilian characteristics than its earlier ancestors; it had short jaws that broadened out at the base of the skull, providing a large surface to which its jaw muscles could attach. This increased the maximum gape of the animal's mouth and the force with which the jaws could be closed. The dentition of the animal also resembled modern crocodiles, including the teeth in the lower jaw that fitted into notches on either side of the upper jaw when the mouth was closed.[1] It also possessed a powerful tail which later developed into a propulsion mechanism through water in its descendants.

Species
Three species of Protosuchus have been described: the type species P. richardsoni [2] from Arizona, USA, P. micmac [3] from Nova Scotia, Canada and P. haughtoni [4] from South Africa.