You are in the lakesides of Russia, 270 million years ago.

The air in the early Permian swamp was thick, humid, and smelled intensely of decaying vegetation. You knelt near the edge of a slow-moving, shallow river, watching the water ripples, when a broad, flat snout emerged silently.

It was a Platyoposaurus, and it was massive.

The creature did not move like a modern crocodile; its movement was a heavy, slow transition from water to mud. Its head was proportionally huge, flat, and armed with rows of small, sharp teeth designed for snatching fish. As it dragged its roughly 2.5-meter body onto the bank, you noticed the intricate pattern of its skin—protected by a rugged, scaly armor, likely inherited from its fish ancestors.

It rested, breathing heavily, its pale eyes watching you with dull curiosity.