Super Crocodile Tooth Fossil

Description

Super Crocodile Tooth Fossil Replica measures 6.1 inches. Super Crocodile Tooth Fossil is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA. Our precise tooth can be used as a teaching tool, museum tooth exhibit, home décor tooth, or office décor tooth.

Super Crocodile or Sarcosuchus meaning flesh crocodile is an extinct genus of crocodyliform and distant relative of living crocodylians that lived during the Early Cretaceous, from the late Hauterivian to the early Albian, 133 to 112 million years ago of what is now Africa and South America.

Super Crocodile or Sarcosuchus was one of the largest crocodile-line reptiles, reaching an average estimate of 9 m (30 ft) and 3.5 metric tons (3.9 short tons), but estimated to grow up to 9.5 m (31 ft.) in body length and weigh up to 4.3 metric tons (4.7 short tons).

It is known from two species, S. imperator from the early Albian Elrhaz Formation of Niger and S. hartti from the Late Hauterivian of northeastern Brazil, other material is known from Morocco and Tunisia and possibly Libya and Mali.

The first remains of Super Crocodile or Sarcosuchus were discovered during several expeditions led by the French paleontologist Albert-Félix de Lapparent, spanning from 1946 to 1959, in the Sahara.

These remains were fragments of the skull, vertebrae, teeth, and scutes. In 1964, an almost complete skull was found in Niger by the French CEA, but it was not until 1997 and 2000 that most of its anatomy became known to science, when an expedition led by the American paleontologist Paul Sereno discovered six new specimens, including one with about half the skeleton intact and most of the spine.

Super Crocodile or Sarcosuchus was a giant relative of crocodiles, with fully grown individuals estimated to have reached up to 9 to 9.5 m (29.5 to 31.2 ft.) in total length and 3.5 to 4.3 metric tons (3.9 to 4.7 short tons) in weight.

It had somewhat telescoped eyes and a long snout comprising 75 percent of the length of the skull.

There were 35 teeth in each side of the upper jaw, while in the lower jaw there were 31 teeth in each side. The upper jaw was also noticeably longer than the lower one leaving a gap between them when the jaws were shut, creating an overbite. Crocodilian jaws are designed for grabbing and holding prey. The teeth are conical and designed to penetrate and hold, rather than cut and chew.

In young individuals the shape of the snout resembled that of the living gharial but in fully grown individuals it became considerably broader.

Sarcosuchus has an expansion at the end of its snout known as a bulla, which has been compared with the ghara seen in gharials.

However, unlike the ghara, which is only found in male gharial, the bulla is present in all Sarcosuchus skulls that have been found so far, suggesting that it was not a sexually dimorphic trait. The purpose of this structure is not known.

Super Crocodile Facts:

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: †Tethysuchoidea
Genus: †Sarcosuchus
Broin & Taquet, 1966
Type species: †Sarcosuchus imperator

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Additional information

Weight	3.5 lbs
Dimensions	6.1 in
World Crocodile Day - June 17th	June 17 marks World Crocodile Day, an occasion that is dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness about one of the world's most formidable reptiles: the crocodile. This day isn't just for herpetologists or wildlife enthusiasts. It's for everyone.