Purussaurus brasiliensis skull

*Purussaurus* is an extinct genus of caiman that lived in the northwestern part of South America during the late Miocene. Although known from skulls found in the Brazilian and Peruvian Amazon, Villavieja Colombiana Formation, Culebra Panama Formation, and Urumaco and Socorro Formations of northern Venezuela, this fossil crocodilian still be very poorly understood. *Purussaurus* is one of the largest known crocodyliforms that ever lived. It was estimated that *P. brasiliensis* reached about 10.9 meters (36 feet) in length and 5.6 metric tons (6.2 short tons). The large size and estimated strength of this animal made it the apex predator in its ecosystem. It is believed that *Purussaurus* became extinct due to changes in the swampy environment in which it was an expert, such changes favored smaller species that were more resilient to ecological changes.