Malawisuchus is an extinct genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of notosuchia

Notosuchia

Notosuchia is a suborder of primarily Gondwanan mesoeucrocodylian crocodylomorphs that lived during the Cretaceous. Fossils have been found from South America, Africa, and Asia...

n mesoeucrocodylia

Mesoeucrocodylia

Mesoeucrocodylia is the name of the clade that includes Eusuchia and the paraphyletic group Mesosuchia. The group appeared during the Early Jurassic, and continues to the present day....

n from the Early Cretaceous

Early Cretaceous

The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...

 of Malawi. It was described in 1997 by Elizabeth Gomani as a member of the family Notosuchidae

Notosuchidae

Notosuchidae is a Gondwanan family of notosuchians. They were small-bodied terrestrial crocodyliforms that lived during the Late Cretaceous.-Genera:*Notosuchus: genus from the Coniacian - Santonian of Argentina....

. The type species

Type species

In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...

 is M. mwakasyungutiensis, referring to Mwakasyunguti, the area of northern Malawi where it was found. It was classified as a member of the family Itasuchidae by Carvalho and colleagues in 2004.

Malawisuchus was first discovered in 1989, but not formally described for several years. It had unusual, mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

-like teeth, including teeth with multiple cusps in the rear of the jaw. Its jaw joint suggests it processed food with a forward motion. The neck was strong, and the articulations of the hind leg suggest an upright posture and an ability to run, while the muscle attachments on the upper arm

Humerus

The humerus is a long bone in the arm or forelimb that runs from the shoulder to the elbow....

 suggest digging; additionally, the taphonomy

Taphonomy

Taphonomy is the study of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized . The term taphonomy was introduced to paleontology in 1940 by Russian scientist Ivan Efremov to describe the study of the transition of remains, parts, or products of organisms, from the biosphere, to the...

 of articulated specimens suggests that they had been preserved in burrow

Burrow

A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of shelter against predation and exposure to the elements, so the burrowing way of life is quite popular among the...

s. It was a small crocodilian, only about 60 centimetres long (24 in).