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Ancient Crocodile Pakasuchus kapilimai (Image 1)
Artists rendering of the ancient crocodile Pakasuchus kapilimai hunting dragonflies on an ancient Tanzanian floodplain. Paleontologists scouring a river bank in Tanzania unearthed the previously unknown crocodile from 105 million-year-old, mid-Cretaceous rock in the Great East African Rift System. No larger than a housecat, the animal had a number of features unusual for crocodylians, including mammal-like teeth and a flexible spine. The discovery was made by an international team of researchers, led by Patrick O'Connor of Ohio University, who were funded in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
To learn more about this discovery, see the NSF press release These Crocs Were Made for Chewing?. Further information is also available in the NSF Special Report These Crocs Are Made for Biting!. (Date of Image: 2010) [See related image Here.]
Credit: Mark Witton, University of Portsmouth
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