Deinosuchus, unlike today's crocodiles, became a giant predator that hunted dinosaurs due to its saltwater tolerance. Scientists have discovered the feature that enabled this success.
Deinosuchus was one of the largest crocodile species in history. The bus-sized giant had teeth as large as bananas.
Around 82 to 75 million years ago, it swam in the rivers and estuaries of North America.
Its broad, long skull had no resemblance to the structures found in other crocodiles.
Tooth marks found in Cretaceous bones show that Deinosuchus hunted dinosaurs or their carcasses.
Although Deinosuchus was known as the "terror crocodile," it was previously classified as a relative of the alligator.
However, a new fossil analysis and genetic data from modern crocodiles and alligators revealed that Deinosuchus belonged to a different crocodile family.
Unlike modern alligators, Deinosuchus had salt glands that allowed it to survive in saltwater.
This salt tolerance enabled Deinosuchus to cross the Western Interior Seaway, which split North America, and live in coastal swamps.
This new research helps us better understand crocodilian evolutionary relationships and offers insights into how some species adapted to environmental changes.
It is said that Deinosuchus evolved into a massive predator by roaming in areas where alligator relatives could not reach.
Dr. Márton Rabi, the lead author of the study, said, "Deinosuchus' presence was a threat to everyone in these swamps. We're really talking about an animal that could grow up to 8 meters (26 feet) long."
Researchers reconstructed the evolutionary history of these ancient crocodiles through genetic analysis of modern crocodiles and alligators. This new analysis revealed that Deinosuchus was not actually "a large alligator" and evolved along a different evolutionary branch.
Dr. Evon Hekkala, a biology professor not involved in the research, said, "This feature was crucial for crocodiles that survived flexibly in the past due to climate changes."
As a result, Deinosuchus was not only a giant crocodile but also had significant environmental resilience against climate changes. This new understanding of crocodile evolutionary history will help us better understand both past and present giant crocodile species.
