A 31-foot predator that once hunted dinosaurs across what is now the eastern United States has been reconstructed in scientifically accurate, life-size form for the first time.
Dr. David Schwimmer, a Columbus State University geology professor and internationally recognized authority on the giant North American crocodilian genus Deinosuchus, contributed decades of research to the creation of the first scholarly accurate mounted skeleton replica of Deinosuchus schwimmeri. Often described as a "dinosaur-killer," the enormous reptile was almost certainly the leading predator in its ecosystem.
A School Bus-Sized Predator Returns
Deinosuchus schwimmeri lived in the eastern United States between 83 million and 76 million years ago. Although it resembled an enormous alligator, it belonged to an ancient lineage of crocodilians, the broader group that includes modern crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials.
The animal could grow as long as 31 feet (9.45 meters), roughly the length of a school bus. Its immense size and powerful jaws would have made it capable of attacking dinosaurs and other large animals that approached the water.
