1.51" Partial Dinosaur-Eating Crocodile (Sarcosuchus) Tooth - Niger

This is a 1.51" long fossil tooth of a monster crocodile (Sarcosuchus imperator). Teeth of this species are only found in the Early Cretaceous (Albian Stage) outcrops of the Erlhaz Formation of Nigeria, though more abundant teeth from other crocodilians are frequently mislabeled as Sarcosuchus.

The tip of this tooth is broken.


Sarcosuchus was a massive crocodylomorph from the early Cretaceous of North Africa and South America, about 133-112 million years ago. Not a true crocodilian, Sarcosuchus was a member of the crocodylomorpha known as pholidosaurs. Pholidosaurs were similar to modern crocodilians, and are distinguished by their longer and narrower snouts. Additionally, Sarcosuchus was notable for the pronounced bony knob at the end of its snout. Called a bulla, these knobs are similar to those seen in modern crocodilian species. But unlike modern gharials, in which the bulla denotes sex, they are found in every known Sarcosuchus specimen. Sarcosuchus weighed approximately 4.5 tons and measured about 30 feet in length. Unlike its relatives, it was likely a generalist predator, eating any animal unlucky enough to find itself between its jaws.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Sarcosuchus imperator (Broin & Taquet, 1966)
LOCATION
Téneré Desert, Niger
FORMATION
Erlhaz Formation
SIZE
1.51" long
ITEM
#282076
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