A fresh field of study publish in the journalVertebrate Paleontologyhas uncovered a group of ancient “ holy terror crocodiles ” that were around 10 meters ( 33 invertebrate foot ) long and had tooth “ the size of banana tree ” . While perhaps not the most minatory of fruits , tooth of this enormous size of it allowed these ancient crocodiles to take down even the large of dinosaur as the large piranha in its ecosystem , and perhaps even the enceinte crocodilian genus ever to have survive .
The genera in question isDeinosuchus , and the study describes two coinage : Deinosuchus hatcheriandDeinosuchus riograndensis . These prehistorical monsters lived in the westward of America , stray from Montana to northern Mexico , and at 10 metre in length likely outweighed the largest predatory dinosaur live alongside them when they roamed the Earth 75 to 82 million years ago .
Previous research had hinted at the idea thatDeinosuchusfed on dinosaur free-base on their skull morphology and how it matched up against recount - tale bite marks on dinosaur fossils . This novel field of study , led by Dr Adam Cossette from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine , Arkansas State University , and Colorado - writer Stephanie Drumheller - Horton , a paleontologist at the University of Tennessee , reveals thatDeinosuchusdid indeed have the skull - crushing capacity of a dino - diner .
reckon at new specimen , their research evince thatDeinosuchuswas an opportunistic predator whose tremendous size likely meant that fairly much anything in its eyesight was on the menu . The fossil evidence uncovered bite marks fromD. riograndensison everything from polo-neck shells to dinosaur bones . The study also report the speciesDeinosuchus schwimmeri , which was alive during the same period but was rather found along the Atlantic coastal knit from New Jersey to Mississippi .
While its genus name translates to “ terror crocodile,”Deinosuchuswas actually more closely related toalligators . Its skull morphology is a little confusing here as it does n’t much depend like either animal , with a long , broad snout with a bulbous tip . The reason for this strange shape is n’t known and there are no extant crocodilian species with a standardized beak to equate it to .
" Deinosuchuswas a giant that must have terrorize dinosaur that descend to the pee ’s edge to tope , " suppose Dr Cossette in astatement . " Until now , the complete animal was unknown . These raw specimens we ’ve examined reveal a outlandish , monstrous predatory animal with tooth the size of banana .
" It had two large holes present at the gratuity of the honker in front of the nose … These holes are unique toDeinosuchusand we do not know what they were for , further enquiry down the business will hopefully aid us unpick this mystery and we can learn further about this incredible creature . "
