Historical crocodile relative may have ripped dinosaurs aside

An historic crocodile relative that lived round 70 million years in the past was in all probability such a formidable predator that it may have eaten medium-sized dinosaurs for breakfast.

“Its massive tooth had serrated edges like steak knives, which is a robust sign that this animal may tear via muscle and bone, in all probability looking small-to-medium-sized dinosaurs or different massive prey,” says Diego Pol at the Nationwide Council for Scientific and Technical Analysis in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Kostensuchus atrox, which in life would have been about 3.5 metres lengthy and weighed round 250 kilograms, was present in March 2020 in southern Patagonia. The fossil included a superbly preserved cranium and elements of the predator’s skeleton.

Its genus title comes from the Patagonian wind often known as the kosten and the Egyptian crocodile-headed god often known as Souchos, with atrox that means fierce or harsh in Greek.

It lived on the finish of the Cretaceous and is from a gaggle of crocodile family often known as the peirosaurid crocodyliforms, which didn’t survive the extinction occasion 66 million years in the past that additionally worn out most dinosaurs.

In contrast to trendy crocodiles, which have lengthy, flat snouts, Kostensuchus had a excessive, broad and very strong cranium constructed for sheer energy, says Pol. Its limbs have been extra elongated than these of recent crocodiles, suggesting that it was able to extra agile motion on land.

“Their physique proportions and cranium form recommend they might transfer higher on land and should have hunted on land too,” he says. “The cranium of Kostensuchus is far broader and extra strong than that of any dwelling crocodile.”

One other indicator that Kostensuchus was extra tailored for a life on land than trendy crocodiles is that its nostrils have been positioned on the entrance of the snout, not on prime of the cranium, which implies it wouldn’t have been in a position to breathe and preserve most of its physique submerged on the identical time.

It had greater than 50 sharp, serrated tooth, some over 5 centimetres lengthy. Pol says these tooth weren’t only for gripping, but in addition for slicing via muscle.

“The again finish of its decrease jaw suggests it had huge jaw-closing muscle groups and one of the vital highly effective bites of its ecosystem,” he says. “These traits helped us to put it as a prime predator, coexisting with massive meat-eating dinosaurs.”

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