Prehistoric croc remains uncovered

The predators roamed the swamps, lakes and rivers of Africa 100 million years ago hunting small dinosaurs and seeking out fish and grubs.

Unlike their modern cousins, the ancient crocodilians were as agile on land as they were in the water. Their remains were uncovered in the Sahara by fossil hunter Dr Paul Sereno of Chicago University, who in 2001 discovered the ‘supercroc' — an eight tonne, 40-foot monster that lived at the time of the dinosaurs.

The latest haul includes new species with an astonishing array of snouts and teeth. The most ferocious is the ‘Boar Croc', a 20-foot meat eater with an armoured snout for ramming its prey and three sets of daggershaped fangs for slicing up meat.

Similarly long was the ‘Pancake Croc', a squat fish-eater with a three-foot-long pancake-flat head which rested motionless for hours, its jaws open, waiting for prey.

There were three smaller crocs, too, each about three feet long. The ‘Rat Croc' was a plant and grub eater whose buckteeth were used to dig for food, while the ‘Duck Croc' had a broad, overhanging snout with which it rooted around in shallow water and mudbanks for fish and grubs. The ‘Dog Croc' ate plants and grubs, had a soft dog-like nose and was probably a good swimmer and fast runner.

— Daily Mail