The dorsal armour of goniopholidids is composed of two rows of paired osteoderms (as opposed to the four main pairs present in living crocodilians and other eusuchians), which are rectangular in shape and wider than they are long, with the lateral margins ventrally deflected and an anterior process for a ‘peg and groove’ articulation.

[2][3] Goniopholidids likely had a similar ecology to modern crocodilians as semi-aquatic ambush predators.

The oldest possible member of the group is Calsoyasuchus from the Early Jurassic of North America.

[4][11] Goniopolidids persisted into the late Upper Cretaceous in North America based on Denazinosuchus, from the Campanian-Maastrichtian of New Mexico, which is only known from fragmentary remains, and has been disputed as a member of the group, as well as remains of an unnamed goniopholidid from the Campanian aged Aguja Formation of Texas.

[12] The following cladogram simplified after an analysis presented by Marco Brandalise de Andrade and colleagues in 2011.