Fossils of enormous ancient crocodiles have been discovered in the Sahara.
The animals, which roamed the earth at the same time as dinosaurs, often hunted their prey on land and had more sophisticated brains than today’s crocodiles, scientists believe.
Their remains have been uncovered by Paul Sereno, a palaeontologist from the University of Chicago, who famously discovered the species dubbed ‘Supercroc’ in 2001.
In this image released by National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno, enveloped by the jaws of SuperCroc, holds the fossil head of DogCroc. DogCroc, along with four other newly described crocs, lived in the Sahara when the 8-ton SuperCroc did, at a time when dinosaurs ruled. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Mike Hettwer)
In total, the team have found five species of ancient crocodile, who have all been given names linked to their defining characteristics.
The animals roamed the lush plains which once covered what is now modern day Niger and Morocco 100 million years ago and shared their habitat with dinosaurs.
Many of them walked ‘upright’ like land mammals, with their legs and arms tucked under their bodies rather than splayed to their sides.
This undated photo released by National Geographic shows University of Chicago Professor Paul Sereno, left, and McGill University Associate Professor Hans Larsson excavating the fossil skull of a 100-million-year-old croc in Niger.
The animal, which they nicknamed BoarCroc, was one of several crocs that inhabited a lost world now buried in the sands of the Sahara. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Mike Hettwer)
1.
The largest is the ‘BoarCroc’, which measured 20ft in length and used its snout and three sets of dagger-shaped fangs, like boar tusks, to slice its prey.
University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno in his lab in Chicago shows off a flesh model and a fossil of a BoarCroc found in Niger.
(Tribune photo by Nancy Stone / November 18, 2009)
2.
Equally as large were the remains of a creature with spiked teeth inside a long, flat head which alone measured three feet in length, dubbed PancakeCroc.
Scientists believe that the predator lay motionless for hours simply holding its massive jaw open and waiting for prey to fall into its trap.
A flesh model of the head of PancakeCroc (above) and its fossil lower jaw are seen in an image courtesy of National Geographic.
REUTERS/Mike Hettwer, courtesy National Geographic/Handout
3.
By contrast the 3ft long DuckCroc, which had a bill like a duck, used special sensitive areas on the end of its snout to search for prey on the shore of rivers and in shallow water.
Duck croc had an exaggerated forebrain (computer generated image). It's flat-billed, Pinocchio-nosed head and long, sleek leg bones more suited to something upright and fleet of foot.
4.
Around the same size, the RatCroc used its pair of buckteeth to dig for food.
5.
The researchers also discovered a species they believe was able to gallop across land to attack its prey.
They have called the animal ‘DogCroc’ because of its soft, dog like nose.
In total, the team excavated five skeletons of the DogCroc, which were all found lying next to each other in a single block of rock in Niger.
Dog croc had a very large forebrain, the thinking, sensing part of the brain. Its brain indicates that it not only looked like a dog, it probably lived like one as well (computer generated image).
The new species are still dwarfed by the SuperCroc, which measured 40 ft in length and weighed 8 tons, making it more than twice the size of the largest modern crocodiles.
Serrano and his team believe the animal was capable of hunting and eating some of the dinosaurs with which it shared its environment.
The largest of today's crocodiles reach between 15 and 20ft long but many are much smaller.
Watch video of crocodile eating dinosaur here.
source
computer generated images from here
The animals, which roamed the earth at the same time as dinosaurs, often hunted their prey on land and had more sophisticated brains than today’s crocodiles, scientists believe.
Their remains have been uncovered by Paul Sereno, a palaeontologist from the University of Chicago, who famously discovered the species dubbed ‘Supercroc’ in 2001.
In this image released by National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Paul Sereno, enveloped by the jaws of SuperCroc, holds the fossil head of DogCroc. DogCroc, along with four other newly described crocs, lived in the Sahara when the 8-ton SuperCroc did, at a time when dinosaurs ruled. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Mike Hettwer)
In total, the team have found five species of ancient crocodile, who have all been given names linked to their defining characteristics.
The animals roamed the lush plains which once covered what is now modern day Niger and Morocco 100 million years ago and shared their habitat with dinosaurs.
Many of them walked ‘upright’ like land mammals, with their legs and arms tucked under their bodies rather than splayed to their sides.
This undated photo released by National Geographic shows University of Chicago Professor Paul Sereno, left, and McGill University Associate Professor Hans Larsson excavating the fossil skull of a 100-million-year-old croc in Niger.
The animal, which they nicknamed BoarCroc, was one of several crocs that inhabited a lost world now buried in the sands of the Sahara. (AP Photo/National Geographic, Mike Hettwer)
1.
The largest is the ‘BoarCroc’, which measured 20ft in length and used its snout and three sets of dagger-shaped fangs, like boar tusks, to slice its prey.
University of Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno in his lab in Chicago shows off a flesh model and a fossil of a BoarCroc found in Niger.
(Tribune photo by Nancy Stone / November 18, 2009)
2.
Equally as large were the remains of a creature with spiked teeth inside a long, flat head which alone measured three feet in length, dubbed PancakeCroc.
Scientists believe that the predator lay motionless for hours simply holding its massive jaw open and waiting for prey to fall into its trap.
A flesh model of the head of PancakeCroc (above) and its fossil lower jaw are seen in an image courtesy of National Geographic.
REUTERS/Mike Hettwer, courtesy National Geographic/Handout
3.
By contrast the 3ft long DuckCroc, which had a bill like a duck, used special sensitive areas on the end of its snout to search for prey on the shore of rivers and in shallow water.
Duck croc had an exaggerated forebrain (computer generated image). It's flat-billed, Pinocchio-nosed head and long, sleek leg bones more suited to something upright and fleet of foot.
4.
Around the same size, the RatCroc used its pair of buckteeth to dig for food.
5.
The researchers also discovered a species they believe was able to gallop across land to attack its prey.
They have called the animal ‘DogCroc’ because of its soft, dog like nose.
In total, the team excavated five skeletons of the DogCroc, which were all found lying next to each other in a single block of rock in Niger.
Dog croc had a very large forebrain, the thinking, sensing part of the brain. Its brain indicates that it not only looked like a dog, it probably lived like one as well (computer generated image).
The new species are still dwarfed by the SuperCroc, which measured 40 ft in length and weighed 8 tons, making it more than twice the size of the largest modern crocodiles.
Serrano and his team believe the animal was capable of hunting and eating some of the dinosaurs with which it shared its environment.
The largest of today's crocodiles reach between 15 and 20ft long but many are much smaller.
Watch video of crocodile eating dinosaur here.
source
computer generated images from here
