Hypercarnivore Ate Dinosaurs: Crocodile Relative Discovered
Here’s a breakdown of the provided text, focusing on the key data:
Main Discovery:
A new fossil of a crocodile-like apex predator, named Kostensuchus atrox (K. atrox), has been unearthed in the Chorrillo Formation in southern Patagonia.
Physical Characteristics:
Size: Approximately 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) long.
Weight: Around 250 kilograms.
Features: Wide, powerful jaw with large teeth. The fossil is largely intact, including the skull and jaws with visible details, and also multiple bones from the body.
Diet:
The predator likely preyed on large animals, including medium-sized dinosaurs.
Significance:
It was a “hypercarnivore” – meaning its diet consisted primarily of meat. It is an ancestor of today’s crocodiles.
The text also includes an image of the skull of Kostensuchus atrox* prepared and freed from the rock, credited to José Brusco / SWNS.