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"Only now do we know the true story- Megarachne was a giant prehistoric sea scorpion." |
In a time when the Earth was filled with vicious predators, deinosuchus ruled the rivers, lakes and swamps of what is now North America. This giant crocodile used a lethal combination of stealth, speed and strength to kill its prey. Even the fiercest dinosaurs of the day fell to deinosuchus' attacks.
Super Skull: Deinosuchus' skull measured about 6.5 feet long. its massive jaws were lined with more than 100 strong, sharp teeth.
Thick Skin: Heavy scales protected deinosuchus from predators. The scales were reinforced by bony plates that would have been almost impossible to break through.
A Load of Croc[]
Ancient swamps gave crocs cover.
Deinosuchus behaved much like modern crocodiles, just on a larger scale. It was twice as big as the largest crocs alive today. This ancient beast laid in wait near the water's edge. When a dinosaur strayed too close, deinosuchus exploded out of the water to attack.
Swamp Strategy: Even dinosaurs that weighed several tons could have been prey for deinosuchus. After grabbing hold of a large animal, the croc would have pulled the victim into the water and spun the prey around until its neck broke or it drowned.
Perfect Model: Deinosuchus has set the design standard for crocodiles for millions of years. Though modern-day crocs are smaller, they have the same features and body-makeup as their ancestors.
Timeline[]
Deinosuchus lived about 85-65 million years ago, in the late Cretaceous Period.
Trivia[]
- The deinosuchus is featured as part of the creature in Build-A-Beast on Monster Mania 43.
- Modern understanding of Deinosuchus is that it is closer to alligators and caimans than crocodiles.