What a toothless, two-legged crocodile cousin reveals about life before dinosaurs dominated

Phys · May 26, 2026 · 774 words · By Natural History Museum

Paleontology Convergent Evolution Ghost Ranch History

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What to know about Paleontology

The article describes the discovery of Labrujasuchus expectatus, a toothless, bipedal archosaur from the Triassic period found at Ghost Ranch. It discusses the significance of the find in understanding convergent evolution and highlights the ongoing paleontological research at the site.

Propaganda risk 20%

Claims checked 12

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left17%

Center66%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

What a toothless, two-legged crocodile cousin reveals about life before dinosaurs dominated Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor In the Triassic, the modern animals we know were just beginning to diversify into a menagerie of forms and…

Why it matters

Described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Labrujasuchus looked very much like ornithomimosaurs, a group of bipedal dinosaurs from the Cretaceous with body plans similar to those of modern ostriches.

Common ground

But Labrujasuchus comes from the branch of archosaurs that led to crocodiles, famously four-legged and full of teeth.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Paleontology story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The newly described Labrujasuchus navigated the world on two legs with tiny arms and a toothless mouth tipped in a beak?
How does this story connect Paleontology with Convergent Evolution over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-toothless-legged-crocodile-cousin-reveals.html

analyticsAnalysis

20%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4

verified Verified By Reference 4

schedule Pending 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “The newly described Labrujasuchus navigated the world on two legs with tiny arms and a toothless mouth tipped in a beak”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results describe the animal as a 'toothless relative' that 'looked like an ostrich' (implying bipedalism) and specifically mention it as a 'toothless, two-legged crocodile cousin'.

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web search NEUTRAL — 知乎，中文互联网高质量的问答社区和创作者聚集的原创内容平台，于 2011 年 1 月正式上线，以「让人们更好的分享知识、经验和见解，找到自己的解答」为品牌使命。知乎凭借认真、专业、友善的社区氛围、独特的产品机制以及结构化和易获得的优质内容，聚集了中文互联网科技、商业、影视 ...
https://www.zhihu.com/question/395844589

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 25, 2018 · 在pinterest中文网中找到我们想要下载的图片并点击打开。
https://jingyan.baidu.com/article/f7ff0bfcc8cee02e26bb13b2.h…

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schedule

Claim 2: “A new shuvosaurid (Archosauria, Poposauroidea) from the Late Triassic (Norian) Hayden Quarry of New Mexico, U.S.A., Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (2026). DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2026.2618182”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “Ghost Ranch hosts a multi-year, ongoing excavation project co-led by Dr. Smith at NHMLAC's Dinosaur Institute to collect Late Triassic creatures from the Hayden Quarry.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 4: “Labrujasuchus expectatus, the newest identified member of Shuvosauridae”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results explicitly identify Labrujasuchus expectatus as a member of the Shuvosauridae.

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web search NEUTRAL — Labrujasuchus is a genus of shuvosaurid poposauroid from the Late Triassic Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation, New Mexico.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrujasuchus

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · Labrujasuchus belonged to the archosaur lineage that eventually gave rise to crocodiles, animals best known today for their four-legged bodies ...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260529043641.h…

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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago · Meet Labrujasuchus expectatus, AKA the “Witch Croc," the newest member of the Shuvosauridae that's being celebrated for its weirdness.
https://www.iflscience.com/meet-the-croc-witch-a-212-million…

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Claim 5: “Among the primordial Star Wars bar denizens of the epoch were the lagerpetids, bipedal dinosaur cousins whose relatives would take to the skies as pterosaurs”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from Wikipedia and other sources confirm lagerpetids were bipedal and that some research suggests they are related to the pterosaur lineage.

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web search NEUTRAL — Though traditionally considered the earliest-diverging dinosauromorphs (archosaurs closer to dinosaurs than to pterosaurs), fossils described in 2020 suggested ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerpetidae

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 14, 2025 ... If we're to assume that Lagerpetids are part of the Pterosaur lineage, we can assume that the common ancestor of Avemetatarsalia were small, ...
https://www.reddit.com/r/Paleontology/comments/1jauwr8/what_…

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 13, 2020 ... Lagerpetids, first appearing about 237 million years ago, were generally small and may have been bipedal insect-eaters. They could not fly.
https://www.facebook.com/serpenillus/posts/warmup-sketch-hyp…

verified

Claim 6: “the funky tree-dwelling Drepanosaurus, with a single tree-sloth-like claw on its hands and a little one on its prehensile tail”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Drepanosaurus was a tree-dwelling reptile with a prehensile tail.

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web search NEUTRAL — ... (tree-dwelling) reptile that lived during the Triassic Period. It is a member of the Drepanosauridae, a group of diapsid reptiles known for their prehensile ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drepanosaurus

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web search NEUTRAL — A more inclusive taxon, Elyurosauria ("lizard with coiled tail ... "Bird-like head on a chameleon body: New specimens of the enigmatic diapsid reptile ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drepanosauromorpha

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 8, 2024 ... Like a large lizard. Drepanosauromorphs were a group of basal reptiles (not really closely related to lepisodaurs, archosaurs or turtles) that ...
https://www.facebook.com/serpenillus/posts/day-8-the-amazing…

help

Claim 7: “One of only five identified species, Labrujasuchus expectatus fills the gap between two earlier discovered shuvosaurs from the region”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm the total number of identified shuvosaur species or the specific 'gap' Labrujasuchus fills.

info

Claim 8: “The witchy genus moniker, Labrujasuchus, references the "Ranchos de los Brujos," or Ranch of the Witches, an old Spanish name for Ghost Ranch, and the Greek word Σοῦχος (suchus) meaning "crocodile."”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided Wikipedia snippet for Labrujasuchus does not include the etymology details, and no other sources in the evidence list confirm the specific naming origin from 'Ranchos de los Brujos'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Labrujasuchus is a genus of shuvosaurid poposauroid from the Late Triassic Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation, New Mexico. It is known from a partial associated skeleton including forelim…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrujasuchus

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Claim 9: “Shuvosauridae—a group of ancient crocodile relatives with body plans resembling bipedal, small-armed theropod dinosaurs”

CORROBORATED

Wikipedia (Poposauroidea) and multiple web search results confirm Shuvosauridae were crocodile relatives with body plans resembling bipedal theropod dinosaurs.

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web search NEUTRAL — Some (Poposaurus and shuvosaurids) were short-armed bipeds, while others (ctenosauriscids and Lotosaurus) were robust quadrupeds with elongated neural ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poposauroidea

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · ... Shuvosauridae. This small group of ancient crocodile relatives evolved body plans that closely resembled bipedal theropod dinosaurs, despite ...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260529043641.h…

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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago · Labrujasuchus expectatus, the newest identified member of Shuvosauridae—a group of ancient crocodile relatives with body plans resembling ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-toothless-legged-crocodile-cou…

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Claim 10: “Labrujasuchus comes from the branch of archosaurs that led to crocodiles”

CORROBORATED

Three independent web search results explicitly state that Labrujasuchus belonged to the archosaur lineage that led to crocodiles.

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... Labrujasuchus belonged to the archosaur lineage that eventually gave rise to crocodiles, animals best known today for their four-legged ...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260529043641.h…

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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago ... The newly described species, named Labrujasuchus expectatus, lived around 210 million years ago and belonged to a group of ancient crocodile ...
https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/toothless-crocodile-…

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web search NEUTRAL — 3 days ago ... Labrujasuchus belongs to an ancient lineage that eventually gave rise to both crocodiles and birds. This species is the fifth discovered in ...
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY2pkU4Gj7A/

verified

Claim 11: “Described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, Labrujasuchus looked very much like ornithomimosaurs”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Labrujasuchus is a genus of shuvosaurid poposauroid. While the specific 'Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology' mention isn't explicitly in the snippet, the physical resemblance to ornithomimosaurs (ostrich-like) is corroborated by multiple web search results describing it as looking like an ostrich.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chinle Formation is an extensive geological unit in the southwestern United States, preserving a very diverse fauna of Late Triassic (primarily Norian-age) animals and plants. This is a list of fo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleobiota_of_the_Chinle_Forma…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fossil archosaur research published in 2026 includes the description of new taxa, as well as other peer-reviewed publications on discoveries related to reptile paleontology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_archosaur_paleontology

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 12: “the aquatic reptilian mini-tank, Vancleavea”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm Vancleavea was a semiaquatic/aquatic reptile.

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web search NEUTRAL — These finds have shown that members of the genus were bizarre semiaquatic reptiles. Vancleavea individuals had short snouts with large, fang-like teeth, and ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancleavea

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 2, 2022 ... Vancleavea was an aquatic reptile which looked like an eel with a crocodile-like tail, small legs, and a short, boxy skull.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_35G-yITC8g

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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 23, 2020 ... r/Naturewasmetal - Kostensuchus atrox is a newly discovered notosuchian from late Cretaceous Argentina. 3. 221.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Naturewasmetal/comments/f820oi/vanc…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.