The first specimen of Barinasuchus was recovered from the Miocene Ipururo Formation of Peru, and was described in 1977 by Éric Buffetaut and Robert Hoffstetter, though was originally assigned to Sebecus.

Its body mass may have ranged from 1,610–1,720 kg (3,550–3,790 lb), making it considerably larger than any terrestrial predatory mammal alive today.

In 1977, Éric Buffetaut and Robert Hoffstetter published on a sebecid specimen recovered from the Ipururo Formation of eastern Peru,[1] dated to the middle Miocene.

[2] In 1982, locals living near a tributary of the Rio Masparro river in Venezuela, near the eastern foothills of the Andes, discovered the anterior (front) half of a skull and mandible.

The strata from which the specimen (MAAT-0260) was recovered have been dated to the middle Miocene, specifically the Friasian South American Land Mammal Age, and are part of the Parángula Formation.

The binomial name refers to Barinas, the Venezuelan state from which the holotype is known, and Alberto Arvelo Torrealba, a local educator and the namesake of the museum where it is housed.

[2] A total body length of anywhere from 6.3–10 m (21–33 ft) has been estimated for Barinasuchus arveloi based on extrapolations from more complete sebecosuchians, like Stratiotosuchus.

[5] The absence of postcranial remains makes estimating Barinasuchus' body mass extremely difficult, and efforts must by necessity rely on anatomical proxies.

[11] Chimaerasuchus Sphagesaurus Pehuenchesuchus Pabwehshi Stratiotosuchus Baurusuchus Cynodontosuchus Bergisuchus Iberosuchus Barinasuchus Lorosuchus Ayllusuchus Bretesuchus Lumbrera's Form Langstonia Sahitisuchus Sebecus Zulmasuchus