During the Triassic Period, many of the major animal groups we know today were only beginning to evolve. The world was filled with unusual creatures experimenting with body shapes and lifestyles that often resemble modern animals or later dinosaurs. One newly identified species, Labrujasuchus expectatus , is a striking example.

Described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology , Labrujasuchus had an appearance that would seem more at home among ostrich-like dinosaurs than crocodile relatives. It walked on two legs, had small forelimbs, and lacked teeth. Instead, its mouth ended in a beak.

What makes this especially surprising is its place on the evolutionary tree. Labrujasuchus belonged to the archosaur lineage that eventually gave rise to crocodiles, animals best known today for their four-legged bodies and tooth-filled jaws.…