Remnants of a 20-foot extinct relative of crocodiles have been discovered in the same Colombian coal mine where Titanoboa, the world's largest snake, was found.
The findings, outlined in the journal Paleontology, suggest that members of these two predatory species might have fought to the death 60 million years ago. Titanoboa measured an incredible 42 feet long. ("Sue," the famous Tyrannosaurus rex specimen housed at the Field Museum, was about that long too.)
It sounds like the huge croc-like animal had an advantage over the snake, though. Its jaws alone were incredibly formidable.
"The younger individuals were definitely not safe from Titanoboa, but the biggest of these species would have been a bit much for the 42-foot snake to handle," lead author Alex Hastings, a graduate student at the Florida Museum of Natural History and UF's department of geological sciences, was quoted as saying in a press release.
There's little doubt that Acherontisuchus guajiraensis and Titanoboa competed for food. The former evolved to hunt and eat fish, which the snake also consumed. The genus, Acherontisuchus, is named for the river Acheron from Greek mythology, “the river of woe,” since the animal lived in a wide river that emptied into the Caribbean. Its snout was long, narrow and full of pointed teeth, perfect for grabbing lungfish and relatives of bonefish that inhabited the water.
The new species is a dyrosaurid, believed to mostly have been ocean-dwelling, coastal reptiles. The new adult specimens challenge previous theories the animals only would have entered freshwater environments as babies before returning to sea.
Read more at
Discovery News
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