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RealPlayer    Windows Media Download RealPlayer Download Windows Media SuperCroc You’ll find interactive maps, models, photos of SuperCroc and bios of paleontologist Paul Sereno and herpetologist Brady Barr on our National Geographic site. Project Exploration’s SuperCroc Site Get inside SuperCroc’s head—and take an interactive tour of its skeleton. This site includes tons of information about the fossil discovery, an extensive image gallery, classroom activities, and interviews with the scientists, sculptors, and artists involved in bringing SuperCroc to life. Dinosaur Expedition 2000 Witness paleontology in action! See a firsthand account of the challenges facing Paul Sereno and his team on their four-month expedition to the world’s largest desert and follow their tracks as they find the bones of one of the largest crocodilians that ever lived—an animal they came to call SuperCroc. Crocodilians How do crocodiles communicate? Hear juvenile distress calls, threatening adult hisses, and courtship bellows—and learn more about all 23 species of modern crocodilians—at this comprehensive site. Find out how you can help prevent the extinction of the highly endangered Chinese alligator.   Photographs by Michael Hettwer Click here to review weekly postings. week 1   week 2   week 3   week 4   week 5   week 6   This Week’s Questions. Click on a question for a full response. 1.   Confirmation of continental drift theory? 4.   Warm-blooded or cold-blooded? 2.   Sarcosuchus and modern crocs? 5.   How old was SuperCroc when it died? 3.   Were its eggs larger? 6.   Why did Sarcosuchus go extinct?     Name: Sherry Forbes Subject: Continental drift confirmed? Question 1: Since SuperCroc was discovered in the Sahara desert, does this confirm the continental drift theory? It is obvious that this reptile had to live in a swampy environment, and today the Sahara is not like that. Sereno’s Answer: The Sahara region was very different some 110 million years ago, when SuperCroc lived. The area was forested and home to large rivers. At that time, according to the drift theory, South America still was attached to Africa. Sarcosuchus confirms this idea, because fossils of a closely related species were found in Brazil. Back to Top Name: Rashka Ebonhand Subject: Modern crocs Question 2: How different is Sarcosuchus from modern-day crocs (disregarding the size, that is). Is it closely related to the huge saltwater croc? Sereno’s Answer: I think it’s not that different. It was sort of a combination of a gharial and a saltwater croc. It is a close relative to the ancestors of all modern crocs. Back to Top Name: Diane Benzler Subject: SuperCroc eggs Question 3: Were SuperCroc’s eggs larger than regular croc eggs? Sereno’s Answer: Its eggs would probably have been larger than in modern crocs, but not too much larger. Back to Top Name: Sal Romano Subject: Warm or cold blood? Question 4: Was SuperCroc warm- or cold-blooded? Sereno’s Answer: It was cold-blooded—technically an ectotherm. We think that is so because it grew slowly, just like living crocs. Back to Top Name: Maurice Raymo Subject: How old was SuperCroc? Question 5: About how old was this croc when it died? Was it full grown? Sereno’s Answer: We learn how old a croc is by looking at an enlarged cross-section of an armor plate from the animal’s back. The one we checked was about 42 years old—each year represented by a growth line. So this animal was not fully grown; it was only 80 percent of the size of the adult Sarcosuchus. Back to Top Name: Dr. Malcolm Braid Subject: What happened? Question 6: Can you hazard a guess as to what happened to Sarcosuchus? Other crocs survived—why not the biggest? Perhaps it didn’t adjust to new food items? Maybe the prey was too small and couldn’t sustain such a large beast? Sereno’s Answer: An animal this size that lived a subaquatic lifestyle, as is clear from the position of its eyes, would need large rivers to survive. Its population would have been relatively small. Thus a dramatic climate change might leave it high and dry. Back to Top

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