Pseudosuchia

Pseudosuchia [‚sü·dō′sü·kē·ə]

(paleontology)

A suborder of extinct reptiles of the order Thecodontia comprising bipedal, unarmored or feebly armored forms which resemble dinosaurs in many skull features but retain a primitive pelvis.

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Pseudosuchia 

an order of extinct Triassic reptiles of the superorder Thecodontia. Pseudosuchia are an important group in an evolutionary sense, since they were the parent stock of most Archosaura (crocodilians, dinosaurs, pterosaurs) and birds. Pseudosuchia had quadrupedal or bipedal locomotion; some species were marked by both forms of locomotion. A number of species had a cutaneous carapace of bony scutellae. The majority were small terrestrial predators; some probably became adapted to arboreal life. Only a few crocodilian forms attained large dimensions (up to 5 m). Remains have been found in deposits in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. In the USSR, remains have been discovered in the Ural Region and the northern European part of the country.