Purussaurus neivensis, a giant crocodile that lived in South America over 10 million years ago, may have been one of the most significant predators of the Miocene ecosystem. Researchers reached this conclusion after analyzing bite marks on the fossilized remains of herbivores. The study was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the University of Helsinki disseminated information about the work.
Purussaurus neivensis reached a length of approximately seven meters and, according to estimates cited in the report, could have weighed around 1.8 tons. This relative of modern caimans inhabited the ecosystems of ancient South America, where large prey was abundant.
The Miocene Ecosystem and Giant Herbivores
During the Miocene, a system of lakes and associated wetland habitats covered a significant portion of the region. Giant turtles and crocodiles lived there, while various large herbivorous mammals inhabited the land. These included ground sloths, glyptodonts, and extinct South American ungulates such as astrapotheres and toxodontids.
Some members of these groups weighed more than a ton. These large animals were preyed upon by various predators, including anacondas, saber-toothed mammals, flightless predatory birds, and sebecids—extinct terrestrial relatives of modern crocodiles.
Bite Marks as Evidence of Predation
Researchers examined fossils from museum collections and focused on damage caused by the teeth of predators. Such traces provide direct evidence of predator-prey interactions, whereas body size or skeletal structure alone are insufficient to establish the actual dietary relationships of extinct animals.
The fossils analyzed date back approximately 10.5 to 16 million years. Based on the nature and frequency of the marks, researchers attribute some of the damage to the activity of Purussaurus. These data indicate that the giant crocodilian regularly interacted with large prey.
The role of Purussaurus in the food web
Researchers estimate that the frequency of marks presumably left by Purussaurus points to the predator’s significant role in the ancient tropical ecosystem. Its size enabled it to attack animals that were inaccessible to many other predators in the region.
“The frequency of marks likely left by Purussaurus suggests it was a key predator in these tropical ecosystems,” said Oskar Wilson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, as cited in the report.
The study’s authors consider the possibility that predation pressure from large predators like Purussaurus may have influenced the populations of large herbivores. This conclusion relates to the reconstruction of the ancient ecosystem and is based primarily on the nature of the fossilized predation marks.
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