It is known from multiple specimens that show it to have been a relatively long-limbed terrestrial quadrupedal predator less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) long, with a short face and a prominent pair of canine-like teeth in the lower jaw.

The first remains of Fruitachampsa were found by paleontologists James Clark and George Callison in 1975, who discovered a diverse assemblage of microvertebrates at the FPA.

The snout is similar in appearance to that of the living caiman genus Paleosuchus, although it is not flattened like in modern crocodylians.

Unlike other crocodyliforms, Fruitachampsa lacks mandibular or antorbital fenestrae (holes in the lower jaw and in front of the eye sockets).

Bony plates called osteoderms cover the back in two overlapping rows, and are much thinner than those of living crocodylians.

When it was named in 2011, a phylogenetic analysis of Fruitachampsa grouped it with a family of Asian crocodyliforms called Shartegosuchidae.

Fruitachampsa possesses several features in common with more advanced crocodyliforms, including procoelous vertebrae and a secondary palate.

The presence of Fruitachampsa in the western United States suggests that shartegosuchids radiated from Asia into North America.