Sarcosuchus was a gigantic ancient relative of crocodiles, living in the Early Cretaceous Period around 112 million years ago. It could grow over 30 feet in length! It had a long, thin snout that ended in a thick, round projection known as a “bulla”.
Sarcosuchus is thought to be among the largest of the Crocodyliformes, a group composed of crocodiles and their close ancestors. Fragments of its skeleton were found between 1946 and 1959, but in 1964 a nearly complete skull was discovered. More recent fossils found in the late 1990s and early 2000s provided even more complete skeletal information.
Sarcosuchus lived in a humid environment in and around freshwater rivers, where it may have fed on large fish and even land animals it could snatch unsuspecting from the water’s edge.
- Size in cm: 26.35 L x 6.67 W x 5.71 H
- Weight: 176g