reconstruction of the skeleton of deinosuchus (Deinosuchus)
It's hard To believe but I think the most dangerous and ruthless of animals on our planet are crocodiles. Judge for yourself — if the person or an animal will be nearby, these toothy creatures, they will surely be torn apart. And there is also a danger for millions of years ago, because even the dinosaurs were afraid of these predators. However, the ancestors of crocodiles were called deinosuchus (Deinosuchus) and had teeth the size of a banana. The remains of ancient monsters were first found in 1850-ies in the United States. Their rough appearance and way of life was described in the beginning of the XX century and that they represent a great danger even for a large dinosaur, scientists have learned recently. And all because on the bones of prehistoric giants, were found teeth marks that these giant crocodiles.
About the bloodthirsty enemies a huge dinosaur was described in a scientific . As mentioned above, teinosuke known to scientists for a long time and they know what they looked like. It is believed that the great ancestors of crocodiles lived from 75 to 82 million years ago. Outwardly they a little than differed from modern crocodiles, but it was much bigger — their body length can reach 10 meters, and the weight of some specimens was equal to 8.5 tons. All the teeth of ancient monsters were thick and strong, and in size they can be compared to a ripe banana. Front teeth inflicted the bite, and the rear was designed for crushing food.
It was a crocodile. Teinosuke was very similar but had larger bodies
At the moment scientists have found the remains of three species of deinosuchus. Members of the species Deinosuchus hatcheri and Deinosuchus riograndensis lived on the territory of present-day U.S. state of Montana and Northern Mexico. Specimens of Deinosuchus schwimmeri lived in the area from Eastern new Jersey to Mississippi. Differences between them were few, some were larger, and someone had a minor peculiarities in the structure of the body. Researchers do know that the bite force of ancient monsters depended on their size. But even the smallest teinosuke if the 6-foot individuals can call it, would attack large dinosaurs and win.
Fossilized bones of deinosuchus
In the course of studying dinosaur bones paleontologists, who study prehistoric times, found dinosaur bones with teeth marks most of these deinosuchus. Most of the bites were leg bones, which is not surprising. Apparently, the ancestors of crocodiles were hunted in exactly the same way as their "grandchildren". The structure of the skull allowed them to breathe air, only slightly showing his head above the water. They could be a long time to remain undetected near the coast and wait for the dinosaurs and other animals. When they came to drink water, teinosuke instantly attacked them. So, at least, represent all scientists.
Danesh in the representation of the artist
It is Important to note that teinosuke were not the only ancestors of the crocodiles that preyed on dinosaurs. In 2019, I talked about the other dangerous creatures of the ancient predatory reptiles rauisuchian (Rauisuchia). They were also very similar to crocodiles and up to 10-meter length. Only now their teeth were not so large as deinosuchus. Photos of their teeth, which were found long before ravizuhii has been described as an ancient species, can be seen . You will also learn about when and why could die the ancestors of modern crocodiles.
Skeleton rauisuchia
It Might seem that crocodiles are among the animals that have not changed since the time of the dinosaurs. The discovery and study of deinosuchus and rauisuchia proves that these predators have evolved in the same way as many other animals. We can say that at this point in African waters live reduced copies of ancient creatures, so we were very lucky. After all, no one wanted to deal with the real Godzilla?
In this article, we figured out what the predators were afraid of dangerous dinosaurs. Now offer you to deal with the fact what I'm afraid of deadly sharks. Believe me, these bloodthirsty creatures also have someone to be afraid of their natural enemies can be read .
