A 10-metre “terror croc” that once preyed on dinosaurs has been reconstructed by scientists in the United States.
Columbus State University researchers have pieced together a full skeleton replica of the Deinosuchus schwimmeri species that lived more than 75 million years ago
It is now on display at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.
Dinosaur researcher David Schwimmer, a geology professor at Columbus State University, has conducted extensive research on the massive crocodile.
Deinosuchus schwimmeri is described as a “dinosaur-killer” that was at the very top of the food chain in its time.
It lived in the eastern United States between 83 million and 76 million years and was a relative of modern alligators.
In 2020, a team of palaeontologists officially identified and named the species Deinosuchus schwimmeri in recognition of Dr Schwimmer’s contributions to the field.
For more than 40 years, Dr Schwimmer has explored fossil sites across Alabama, Georgia and Texas in search of Deinosuchus remains.
To build the skeleton replica the team used high-resolution 3D scans of fossil specimens to reconstruct the animal’s skeletal structure and armoured skin features.
“These replicas are more than just creating a ‘scare factor,'” Dr Schwimmer said.
“Understanding dinosaurs’ predatory habits helps us decode some of nature’s greatest survival strategies. By studying these ancient apex predators, we are essentially looking back in time to see exactly how life adapted and dominated a changing world.”
