Dinosaur-hunting ‘terror croc’ found preserved in the Wyoming badlands
A ‘terror croc’ that preyed on dinosaurs has been unearthed in the badlands of Wyoming. The primitive creature reached up to 14 feet long and weighed almost half a tonne, say scientists. It used its powerful jaws packed with two inch razor sharp teeth to drag giant plant eaters to their doom as they drank at the water’s edge. The new species, named Amphicotylus milesi, belonged to an extinct group of early crocodiles known as goniopholidids. It is the best preserved specimen to date – and is a ‘missing link’ in the evolution of the reptiles. Lead author Dr Junki Yoshida, of Hokkaido University, Japan, described Amphicotyleus as the modern croc’s ‘uncle fossil.’ He said: ‘It reveals the origin of their unique breathing system for the first dive. ‘Amphicotylus milesi has the backward extension of the nose duct and the short and curved tongue bone similar to modern crocodilians. ‘This suggests that, by keeping their external n...