Reptile
Deinosuchus hatcheri
Deinosuchus hatcheriAlso known as Terror Crocodile
Deinosuchus hatcheri patrolled the brackish coastal waters and estuaries bordering North America's Western Interior Seaway during the Late Cretaceous. Equipped with massive, rounded teeth designed for crushing armored sea turtles and large dinosaur bone, this apex ambusher rivaled the largest carnivorous dinosaurs in sheer bulk. Histological studies of fossilized osteoderms reveal that individuals maintained slow, steady growth for over three decades to reach their immense adult size.
PrehistoricApex PredatorCarnivore
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyHadrosaur dinosaurs, Marine turtles, Large bony fish
ThreatsMarine regressions, loss of coastal wetland habitats, and Late Cretaceous environmental shifts
HabitatsEstuaries, coastal lagoons, and shallow marine margins
Life span50–70 years
Classification
- FamilyCrocodylidae
- SpeciesDeinosuchus hatcheri
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskHigh
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is high
- Extinct species known only from Late Cretaceous fossils; entirely safe to examine in museum collections.
Responsible observation
- Museum Viewing: Examine cast jaw reconstructions and fossil osteoderms at major natural history museums.
- Fossil Identification: Look for distinctive, deeply pitted scutes in Late Cretaceous marine and estuarine strata.
Competitor Jonathan Chen / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Prey Claire H. from New York City, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Modern Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Vijay Barve · cc0
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