The research, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, found that the
Although Deinosuchus was far larger than any modern crocodile or alligator, with the largest adults measuring 10.6 meters (35 ft) in total length, its overall appearance was fairly similar to its smaller relatives.
Sarcosuchus was a giant relative of crocodiles, with fully grown individuals estimated to have reached up to 9 to 9.5 m (29.5 to 31.2 ft) in total length and 3.45 to 4.3 metric tons (3.80 to 4.74 short tons) in weight. It had somewhat telescoped eyes and a long snout comprising 75% of the length of the skull.
Ancient giants
The size of the crocodiles can be estimated from the distance between their claw impressions. We used this distance to estimate a total body length of about nine metres, and possibly as much as 12 metres.
Crocodiles
Well, crocodiles share a heritage with dinosaurs as part of a group known as archosaurs (“ruling reptiles”), who date back to the Early Triassic period (250 million years ago). The earliest crocodilian, meanwhile, evolved around 95 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period.
There are two main reasons crocodiles survived the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. First, crocodiles can live for a very long time without food. Second, they lived in places that were the least affected when the asteroid hit Earth.
Alligators & Crocodiles: These sizeable reptiles survived–even though other large reptiles did not. Birds: Birds are the only dinosaurs to survive the mass extinction event 65 million years ago.
The terrifying Sarcosuchus imperator (pronounced sar-co-sue-cuss) is estimated to have been 12.2 m (40 ft) long and 8 tonnes (17,600 lb). That made this colossal croc double the length of Lolong and around 7.5 times his weight.
The crocodile has played an important role in Egyptian culture for thousands of years. In addition to being linked to a deity, it was a food source, and parts of the animal, like its fat, were used as medicine to treat body pains, stiffness and even balding.
Machimosaurus rex is the largest marine crocodile ever found, with a total body length of up to 10 meters and a body weight of 3 tons, twice the size of a present-day saltwater crocodile.
The crocodile was about 2 to 2.5 meters in length. It was found in a massive, shattered boulder. Early neutron imaging scans of one rock fragment from the boulder detected bones of the small chicken-sized juvenile dinosaur in the gut.
But the crocodile family tree also forked about 100 million years ago, with the appearance of the enormous Sarcosuchus, which measured about 40 feet long from head to tail and weighed about 10 tons. There was also the slightly smaller Deinosuchus, which was about 30 feet long.
And semi-aquatic ambush predators existed, too. Some of them were about the size of their modern counterparts, but a few were giants. Deinosuchus, the “terror crocodile,” was an alligator that could grow to be almost 40 feet long and lurked in North America's swamps between 82 and 73 million years ago.
This enormous predator had jaws powerful enough to subdue massive dinosaur prey. An enormous Cretaceous crocodile relative hunted dinosaurs, ripping them apart using powerful jaws lined with teeth "the size of bananas," researchers say.
The Crocodile That Could Gallop Like A Horse
That is until they unearthed Kaprosuchus saharicus and Laganosuchus thaumastos. Both of these species were found in the Sahara Desert at a dig site and may be the scariest crocodiles to have ever been found.
Being larger can provide many evolutionary advantages—bigger animals are less vulnerable to predators and can compete more assertively for resources. The existence of bigger herbivores also means that carnivorous animals have to grow in order to be effective hunters.
Despite being poor swimmers, researchers have discovered that the saltwater crocodile (also known as estuarine) commonly travels long distances over open oceans by riding ocean currents.
When archaeologists excavating an undisturbed tomb at Qubbat al-Hawā, a necropolis on the western bank of the Nile River, discovered a cache of mummified crocodiles in 2019, they weren't entirely surprised.
Its construction also disturbed the water ecosystem. Many species of fish, amphibians and reptiles as well as waterfowl have been cut off from their migratory sites in the south. Among other things, this contributed to the disappearance of crocodiles from the Nile below the High Dam of Aswan.
He was 6.17 m (20 ft 3 in) long and weighed 1,075 kg (2,370 lb). Currently, the largest living crocodile in captivity, named "Cassius", is kept at Marineland Crocodile Park, a zoo located at Green Island, Queensland, Australia. It measures 5.48 m (18 ft 0 in) in length and weighs approximately 1,300 kg (2,900 lb).
The biggest croc ever found, at 8.6m (28ft). Shot by a hunter in Queensland, Australia in 1957. Wendy Richards and 5,461 others like this.
The Australian saltwater crocodile is one of the most aggressive and dangerous crocodiles. It is also the largest living reptile, exceeding the Komodo dragon in size. Sexual dimorphism (difference) is present in this species, with the females normally growing to more than 3 metres and males normally up to 6 metres.
Tardigrades have been around a long time.
Fossils date their existence on Earth to more than 500 million years ago. This means tardigrades have survived the planet's last five mass extinction events.
Crocodiles evolved from reptiles that came before dinosaurs.