Deinosuchus
"Terrible crocodile" (Holland, 1904)
"die-no-soo-kuss"
Not many bones have been found of
Deinosuchus, but there are enough to know that it was one of the biggest crocodiles ever. Weighing in at nine tons, with a 36-foot body, it was one of the largest carnivores.
One of its favourite meals was dinosaurs.
Deinosuchus would wait stealthily underwater until its prey came too close, then with a powerful burst of speed would thrust out of the water to snatch its victim.
Deinosuchus' long jaws could grasp and hold a struggling dinosaur as it dragged it into the water, rolling over and over to drown its prey.
The deep tail of
Deinosuchus propelled the animal through the water while swimming. Legs were just used for walking on the lake bottom or supporting the body on land. Whilst walking on land, bony armour on the crocodile's back helped make the body rigid using a system of tendons attached to the backbone. This skeleton system created a special "high-walk," where the legs were not as sprawling as today's lizards'. This rigid body let it move quite fast, allowing it to gallop in a straight line. Changing direction was much more difficult and the perfect chance to escape for potential prey!
This titanic croc lived in the coastal lowlands adjoining the shores of the huge seaway that divided North America into east and west in the Late Cretaceous.
Deinosuchus became extinct when this seaway dried up, its habitat lost.
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Size: 36 ft long
