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Year:
2000
PLACE:
Gadoufaoua, Niger
Expedition members:
17
Fossil in focus:
Sarcosuchus imperator
Age:
middle Cretaceous, some 110 million years ago
Estimated adult length:
40 feet
Estimated weight:
ten tons
Quote:
“To visualize what can’t yet be seen—that’s the key to big fossil discoveries.”
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Go into the bush with Paul Sereno to get up close and personal with SuperCroc.
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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.
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| Photographs by Michael Hettwer |
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This Week’s Questions. Click on a question for a full response.
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| Name: | JP |
| Subject: | Mammals? |
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| Question 1: |
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| Besides SuperCroc and large dinosaurs, what little critters did you find at the
site, such as fish, turtles, and other vertebrates? Did you find any mammals? |
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| Sereno’s Answer: |
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| We found four species of turtle—one with a domed shell about
a foot long—and the small bones of lizards. We also found fish of several kinds. Mammals at this time
were mouse-size, and their teeth are very small. We brought back several tons of sediments that might yield
the teeth of mammals back in the lab. |
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| Name: | Robert Brooke |
| Subject: | Is Sarcosuchus a mesosuchian? |
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| Question 2: |
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| I have read that Sarcosuchus was not a modern
crocodilian. Was it a mesosuchian? If so, what features distinguish mesosuchians from modern crocodilians? |
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| Sereno’s Answer: |
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| We didn’t use the term “mesosuchian” in our
research, because the term has become too vague. All living crocs can be grouped within the
Crocodylia. Sarcosuchus lies not far outside; Sarcosuchus and its closest relatives, along
with living crocs, form the Neosuchia, meaning “new crocodiles.” The most distinguishing
features of Sarcosuchus as compared with modern crocs are the more anterior position of the internal
nostrils on the palate (modern crocs have the opening far at the back, near the throat), the presence of
only two rows of armor plates on the back (living crocs have at least four), and the shape of the
vertebrae: In Sarcosuchus the front and back of the vertebrae are gently concave; in all modern crocs, the
back is markedly convex. |
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| Name: | Jesse |
| Subject: | SuperCroc v. T. Rex? |
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| Question 3: |
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| Was SuperCroc stronger than Tyrannosaurus rex? |
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| Sereno’s Answer: |
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| In the power of its bite? Yes. In its ability to drag
something heavy? Yes. In the strength of its tail? Yes. In the strength of its hind legs? No. |
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| Name: | Theodore |
| Subject: | SuperCroc’s teeth? |
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| Question 4: |
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| How large were SuperCroc’s teeth? |
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| Sereno’s Answer: |
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| The largest ones at the front of the mouth grew as long as five inches. |
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| Name: | Mike Esola |
| Subject: | Sarcosuchus v. Suchomimus? |
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| Question 5: |
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| Do you think that Sarcosuchus posed a threat to Suchomimus? |
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| Sereno’s Answer: |
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| I don’t know if Sarcosuchus would have wanted to tangle
extensively with an adult Suchomimus, but a juvenile may have fallen prey as it came to look for
water or fished in the shallows. |
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