Category: Dinosaur
Kaprosuchus
Kaprosuchus possessed three sets of tusk-like teeth that projected above and below the skull, one of which in the lower jaw fit into notches in the upper jaw, with well-developed muscles for extra biting power. Primarily, if not exclusively terrestrial, the predator’s legs are reconstructed as if allowing it to gallop. The forward-facing eyes would have given it stereoscopic vision for improved hunting. Crocodyliformes in the Mesozoic filled a much wider range of roles including some rare herbivore forms than is found in modern faunas.
Kaprosuchus had an armored snout that could have rammed its prey before using the three sets of fangs to slice it up; its prey would have included dinosaurs.
Found in lush, river-carved plains of present-day Niger and Morocco (Dell'Amore, 2009).
1. Knol, R. (2013, September 11). Late Cretaceous Cenomanian Echkar Formation Niger. Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.dinosaurcollectorsitea.com/LCafrica.html
2. Dell'Amore, C. (2009, November 19). STRANGE CROC PICTURES: New Dino-Eater, Galloper, More. . Retrieved May 29, 2014, from http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/spacescience/dino-death-pit/.
3. Itstwentybelow. (2011, March 13). Kaprosuchus.
4. Kaprosuchus. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2014, from http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/k/Kaprosuchus.html.
