Scientists discover the remains of an 11.5-foot, 550-pound crocodile ancestor that ate medium-sized dinosaurs
The Chorrillo Formation in southern Patagonia has been a treasure trove of fossils. Argentinian paleontologists recently unveiled their latest discovery.
The wind-swept southern Patagonia in Argentina looked quite different 70 million years ago than it does today. Back then, it was wet and humid, with rivers and covered in floodplains that were inhabited by a range of predators and prey including dinosaurs, frogs, mammals, and turtles.
Paleontologists recently presented their latest discovery from the Chorrillo Formation, which has been a treasure trove of fossils. For the first time they found the fossils of a peirosaurid, terrestrial crocodyliforms. This is the furthest south that one has been found and shows that this now extinct ancestor of crocodiles most likely survived until the end of the dinosaurs.
The fossil has been called “remarkable” because of the completeness of the skeleton unearthed. This is providing researchers with a rare opportunity to compare its features with other crocodyliforms to map out how they evolved and spread around the world.
Fierce crocodile ancestor from Patagonia
The creature that was unearthed near El Calafate in Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province has been named Kostensuchus atrox.
“Kosten, refers to the Patagonian wind in Aonikenk language; and suchus, latinized from the Greek Souchos in references to the Egyptian crocodile-headed god (Sebek). The species epithet atrox means harsh in Greek,” explained the team of researchers from the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales in a paper published in PLOS One.
Paleontologists recovered the whole of the skull as well as significant sections of the skeleton. They reveal that Kostensuchus atrox was a formidable creature measuring 11.5 feet and weighing 550 pounds.
Unlike modern day crocodiles, this ancestor was more of a terrestrial creature, stalking prey across the floodplains that covered the late Cretaceous Patagonia. Using its muscular build and powerful jaws with blade-like ziphodont teeth, it would hunt medium-sized dinosaurs scientists theorize.
It was one of the apex predators in the late Cretaceous Patagonia, second only to Maip macrothorax, a giant dinosaur nearly three times as big.
Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.
Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.