Sarcosuchus

Sarcosuchus imperator · Sarcosuchus was a giant crocodile relative that lived in North Africa and Brazil during the Early Cretaceous, between 133 and 101 million years ago.

It lived about 130 to 112 million years ago.

Sarcosuchus
Photo: User:ArthurWeasley, CC BY 2.5
Sarcosuchus
Photo: Augustios Paleo, CC BY 4.0
Sarcosuchus
Photo: Valerie Everett, CC BY-SA 2.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderCrocodilia
FamilyPholidosauridae
GenusSarcosuchus
SpeciesSarcosuchus imperator

Where its fossils were found

Niger and elsewhere in the Sahara (North Africa), and Bahia, Brazil.

Fun facts

  • Fully grown Sarcosuchus are estimated to have reached up to 9 to 9.5 metres long, making it one of the biggest crocodile relatives known.
  • Its long snout made up about 75% of the length of its skull.
  • Its upper jaw was longer than its lower jaw, so it had an overbite that left a gap between the jaws when they were shut.
  • Young Sarcosuchus had a snout shaped like a living gharial's, but adults grew much broader snouts.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).