The 'Super Croc' That Could Have Hunted Dinosaurs

by Riya Adhikari, age 12

The Sarcosuchus Imperator, otherwise known as the “Super Croc,” was an ancient species of crocodile. It lived around 113 million years ago.

The Super Croc was a huge creature. Saltwater Crocodiles are big, but nothing compared to Sarcosuchus. The Super Croc was 30-40 feet long, meanwhile, male crocodiles nowadays can grow up to 25 feet, and females can be around 10 feet long.

The Sarcosuchus Imperator’s diet is believed to have had dinosaurs in it. The Super Croc had a particular way of hunting its prey. With its formidable, long, sharp, backward-pointing teeth, Super Sarco would cling onto the animal that got too close, and submerge it under the water.

It was believed by scientists that Sarco liked to live near hot-to-warm river areas and large bodies of water. Several Sarcosuchus Imperator fossils were located in modern-day Niger in West Africa, specifically near dried-up rivers. There are also some remains of Sarco in North Africa, in the country of Tunisia.

The Sarcosuchus Imperator was a formidable and frightening creature, but its interesting features and characteristics distinguished it from various creatures in the past. While these creatures no longer exist today, their fossils give insight into life during the time of dinosaurs and how various creatures survived.

[Sources: BBC Science Focus; safarisafricana.com]