7H; Deinosuchus (Terrible Crocodile)
By Thomas Thurman
An extinct genus related to the alligator Deinosuchus was very similar in appearance, though larger; much larger.
Populations are known from both the east and west coast of the Western Interior Seaway. The western individuals tend to be larger but populations seem to have been lower, fewer specimens are found. Those found on the eastern coast of the Western Interior Seaway tended to be smaller individuals, but populations are higher and Georgia produces the greatest number of fossils. The current opinion is that these animals inhabited brackish waters in bays.
Dr. David Schwimmer is extensively published on this genus and you can find some of his research and references on the Wikipedia entry of Deinosuchus. He also published a book on the subject entitled: King of the Crocodylians: The Paleobiology of Deinosuchus.
Individuals have been recovered from the Chattahoochee River Valley which possessed skulls estimated to a meter long, this would likely produced a living animal of about 8 meters or 26 feet. Schwimmer inspected a skull from Texas which produced a head of about 1.3 meters (4.3ft) and calculated a potential body length of 9.8 meters or more than 32 feet.
References:
Schwimmer, David R. (2002). King of the Crocodylians: The Paleobiology of Deinosuchus. Indiana University Press. pp. 1–16. ISBN 0-253-34087-X.
Schwimmer, David R. (2002). King of the Crocodylians: The Paleobiology of Deinosuchus. Indiana University Press. pp. 1–16. ISBN 0-253-34087-X.
