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RARE DINOSAUR-ERA GIANT "SUPER-CROC" SARCOSUCHUS IMPERATOR CROCODILE TOOTH Tegana Formation - Kem Kem, Morocco LATE CRETACEOUS PERIOD: 96 - 66 million years ago An American team of paleontologists on an expedition in Niger in the year 1997 and later, in a return expedition in 2000, unearthed remains of a huge crocodile that had first been discovered in the 1940's by French paleontologists. Scattered remains and large teeth have been discovered in various prehistoric marine environments of North Africa for many decades but this is the first time a full-fledged excavation and study had been done on the beast. The result - Sarcosuchus imperator or "SUPER CROC" as it has become notoriously known as. The scientific name means 'flesh crocodile emperor'. This monster crocodile from the days of the dinosaurs is estimated to have weighed 10 tons and attained a length of 40 feet with a five foot skull! Large vertebrates including dinosaurs are believed to have been its unfortunate victims. On very rare occasions we come across one of these rare, large teeth in the Late Cretaceous deposits of southern Morocco and this is one of only a few we have been able to find the last several years. It is a RARE AND SUPERB specimen and can easily be mistaken for a tooth from a large carnivorous dinosaur. This tooth is is a remarkable collector specimen and is INTACT WITH NO REPAIR AND NO RESTORATION. True Sarcosuchus imperator teeth are rare and highly uncommon. SPECIAL NOTE: There are many different species and sizes of crocodiles in the deposits where Sarchosuchus imperator fossils are found. In an effort to make ordinary crocodile teeth more saleable, many dealers simply call ALL of their crocodile teeth from this region as coming from Super Croc but this is not true. Actual teeth from Super Croc are notably larger than teeth with crowns measuring 1.25" or less in length which is an average size for normal common-type Cretaceous crocodiles of the region. The crown being the part of the tooth that was above the jaw, not the entire tooth with root. Just because it is a crocodile tooth from this deposit does NOT automatically make it Super Croc! This monster was the size of a school bus so imagine just how large the teeth were. The modern crocodiles of today have remained unchanged since the days of the dinosaurs. Crocodiles belong to the family Crocodylidae. Although this family has existed since the upper Triassic Period, over 200 million years ago, reptiles which can definitely be classed as modern crocodiles only appear in the fossil record about 80 million years ago. The crocodile's eyes and nostrils are on top of the head so it can see and breathe while the rest of it is underwater. As an added advantage, its ears and nostrils can close when it dives, and a nictitating membrane (a transparent eyelid) closes over the eye to keep water out.
Although crocodiles look like alligators, they can be distinguished by their longer, narrower snout, and their fourth tooth, which sticks out from the lower jaw rather than fitting neatly into the upper jaw. The adults can reach lengths of over 10 feet and can weigh up to 1500 pounds. This is a rare fossil tooth from a massive crocodile which lived during the final days of the dinosaurs including during the time of T. rex. A fascinating and impressive specimen. RARE SPECIMEN FROM THIS MASSIVE DINOSAUR-EATING BEAST! INTACT OF THE FINEST QUALITY 2" long on the curve $245 MV10-018 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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Crocodiles
swim mostly with their tails. Though their back feet are webbed, they
rarely use them underwater. On land, they use their powerful legs to
move around. They only look slow; Nile Crocodiles have been known to
"gallop" at speeds of about 30 miles an hour.