A new discovery in the world of paleontology has left more than one expert on the subject speechless, since in Queensland, Australia, the fossil of a species of crocodile belonging to the Cretaceous period was discovered, which seems to be which was a predator of dinosaurs.
The discovery of the fossilized bones of the reptile species called confractosuchus sauroktonos occurred in 2010, on a sheep farm near the Winton Formation, a geological bedrock dating to about 95 million years.
When making the complete study of the crocodile, it was discovered that inside its stomach, which measured 2.5 meters, the scientists were able to identify the digested remains of a young ornithopod of almost 1 .7 kilos. The results of the research were published by the magazine “Gondwana Research” last February 11.
This would become the first proof that in Australia a crocodile fed on a dinosaur
The crocodile sample, which was initially preserved in siltstone, had been partially crushed. However, the damage revealed a series of small bones from the skeleton of a small Cretaceous creature.
Scientists used X-ray and computed tomography technologies to locate the bones within the crocodile specimen and invested 10 months to carry out the computer processing to produce a 3D reconstruction of the bones.
With the 35% of the freshwater crocodile preserved , the researchers were able to recover a nearly complete skull of the animal.
Such a discovery is “extremely rare, as only a few examples of dinosaur predation are known worldwide,” says a press release.
“Although confractosuchus did not specialize in eating dinosaurs, it would not have overlooked an easy meal, such as the remains of young ornithopods found in its stomach,” explained Dr. Matt White, a museum associate who led the investigation.
“Given the lack of comparable specimens worldwide, this prehistoric crocodile and its last meal will continue to provide clues about the relationships and behaviors of the animals that inhabited Australia millions of years ago ”, he added.
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