A museum in Georgia crafted a model of a 9-meter skeleton featuring huge teeth with which the 10-meter predator easily crushed hadrosaur bones.
The Georgia state museum unveiled the world’s first scientifically accurate recreation of a gigantic prehistoric crocodile capable of preying on dinosaurs. Tellus Science Museum personnel announced that work on the project concluded on December 22nd. Displayed is a full-sized skeleton of Deinosuchus schwimmeri—a creature nearly 9.5 meters long, named in honor of paleontologist David Schwimmer.
This ancient predator dwelled in eastern North America about 80 million years ago and was among the largest reptiles of its era. Scientists estimate its bite force surpassed even that of a Tyrannosaurus. The crocodile possessed powerful jaws with blunt teeth the size of bananas, which it used to shatter the shells of ancient turtles and the bones of hadrosaurs. Another characteristic of the species was an inflated snout with two mysterious openings at the tip.
The crocodile model was fashioned based on high-precision 3D scans of actual fossils discovered near the city of Columbus. The endeavor took two years and became a testament to the extensive research of Professor Schwimmer, who devoted his career to studying Late Cretaceous fauna.
According to museum curator Rebecca Melsheimer, viewing the full-scale skeleton allows one to truly grasp the magnitude of the ancient world and comprehend how enormous and perilous its inhabitants were. Currently, the Tellus Science Museum remains the sole institution globally where visitors can view a complete replica of the Deinosuchus schwimmeri skeleton.
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