Zatomus was a type of extinct reptile that lived during the Late Triassic period, which was a long time ago. It is known as a pseudosuchian, which is a group that includes some large, carnivorous archosaurs. Fossils of Zatomus were mainly found in North Carolina, United States.
This ancient reptile is classified as a rauisuchian. Rauisuchians were fierce predators, similar to dinosaurs. They had certain features that helped them hunt.
The history of Zatomus begins with a geologist named Ebenezer Emmons, who discovered the first fossils in North Carolina. These fossils included teeth and some skin plates.
Later, a scientist named Edward Drinker Cope examined the teeth and thought they looked similar to those of some known dinosaurs like Megalosaurus. In 1871, he officially named it Zatomus sarcophagus based on these teeth. Over time, scientists agreed that these teeth really belonged to rauisuchians.
Today, Zatomus gives us insight into the types of creatures that existed before dinosaurs became the dominant land animals.