Simosuchus earned its name "pug-nosed crocodile" due to its distinct, short, tall snout, differing from the long, low skulls of other crocodyliforms. This, in combination with its maple leaf-shaped teeth (much like those of herbivorous iguanids), lead paleontologists to believe that it is actually herbivorous. Its tail is also very short, unlike other crocodyliforms. Otherwise, Simosuchus is very much like other crocodyliforms, covered with an armor of tightly-interlocked osteoderms.