From these, the researchers estimated the chomping force of a T. rex bite. [15][36] Better cranial material was also found; by 2002, David R. Schwimmer was able to create a composite computer reconstruction of 90% of the skull. [15], Numerous additional specimens of Deinosuchus were discovered over the next several decades. [18], Deinosuchus was present on both sides of the Western Interior Seaway. Holland assigned these specimens to a new genus and species, Deinosuchus hatcheri, in 1909. Founded in 2003, Science News for Students is a free, award-winning online publication dedicated to providing age-appropriate science news to learners, parents and educators. The not-so-immense jaw power of the Giganotosaurus, on the other hand, kept it from eating other dinosaurs whole, which it could have easily done otherwise, given the size of its mouth. anatomy     See (adj. The duo also measured the bite strength of living dino relatives. It may have also fed upon sea turtles, fish, and other aquatic and terrestrial prey. newton     A unit of force named for Sir Isaac Newton, a 17th century English physicist and mathematician. [5][32], Schwimmer concluded in 2002 that the feeding patterns of Deinosuchus most likely varied by geographic location; the smaller Deinosuchus specimens of eastern North America would have been opportunistic feeders in an ecological niche similar to that of the modern American alligator. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by e-mail. [2][19], Since the discovery of the earliest fragmentary remains that will come to be known as Deinosuchus, it was found that it was a relative of crocodiles, going as far as placing it in the same family (crocodylidae) in 1954, this assignment was mostly supported by dental features,[11] but was overturned in 1999 when the finding of new specimens from Texas and Georgia helped place Deinosuchus in a phylogenetic analysis, finding it in a basal position within the clade Alligatoroidea along with Leidyosuchus. [23], The distribution of Deinosuchus specimens indicates these giant crocodilians may have preferred estuarine environments. [4], In 1858, geologist Ebenezer Emmons described two large fossil teeth found in Bladen County, North Carolina. Emmons assigned these teeth to Polyptychodon, which he then believed to be "a genus of crocodilian reptiles". The dinosaur, they found, could chow down with about 8,000 lbf (35,586 N), more than twice the force of a saltwater croc. force     Some outside influence that can change the motion of a body, hold bodies close to one another, or produce motion or stress in a stationary body. Stanton. Connie Ma/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Deinosuchus fossils have been described from 10 U.S. states, including Texas, Montana, and many along the East Coast. It is named for Blaise Pascal, the 17th century French scientist and mathematician. For many decades, they have been distinguished by their hips. That means he specializes in fossils of animals with backbones. These species persisted into the late Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. They also studied crocodiles, which are dinosaurs’ closest living relatives. Dunkleosteus was a fish that flourished worldwide. These ancient reptiles lived from about 250 million years ago to roughly 65 million years ago. [17] This is only slightly lower than previous estimates for the species. The publication, as well as Science News magazine, are published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education. [4] Schwimmer noted no theropod dinosaurs in Deinosuchus's eastern range approached its size, indicating the massive crocodilian could have been the region's apex predator. October 20, 2018. Register to access: Already Registered? Crocodyliforms from the Late Cretaceous of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and vicinity, southern Utah, U.S.A. [4] The tooth count for each dentary (tooth-bearing bone in the lower jaw) was at least 22. In: Titus AL, Loewen MA, eds. [15] The teeth described by Emmons were thick, slightly curved, and covered with vertically grooved enamel; he assigned them a new species name, P. But a new 2017 analysis now calls into question that characterization of relatedness based on hip shape. [31], Schwimmer and G. Dent Williams proposed in 1996 that Deinosuchus may have preyed on marine turtles. [15][35] The genus name Phobosuchus, which was initially created by Baron Franz Nopcsa in 1924, has since been discarded because it contained a variety of different crocodilian species that turned out to not be closely related to each other. The massive pressure from those teeth helped create cracks that weakened bones. Weekly updates to help you use Science News for Students in the learning environment. It has been argued that even the largest and strongest theropod dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus, probably had bite forces inferior to that of Deinosuchus. [16] This was later corroborated when it was noted that most known specimens of D. rugosus usually had skulls of about 1 meter (3.3 ft) with estimated total lengths of 8 meters (26 ft) and weights of 2.3 metric tons (2.5 short tons). [19] A Deinosuchus osteoderm from the San Carlos Formation was also reported in 2006, so the giant crocodilian's range may have included parts of northern Mexico. One newton is an amount that would give a mass of one kilogram an acceleration of one meter per second per second. Donald Baird and Jack Horner later assigned the Big Bend remains to Deinosuchus, which has been accepted by most modern authorities. [34] Although not initially recognized as such, these teeth were probably the first Deinosuchus remains to be scientifically described. The scientists who study them are known as paleontologists. 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