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Monday, July 25, 2011

Dinosaur hunter: The 70million-year-old crocodile with huge teeth and a dog's head

A newly-identified, 70million-year-old species of crocodile with huge teeth and a dog-shaped head has been found in a small town in Brazil.

The fossil of Pissarrachampsa sera, which scientists believe ate dinosaurs, was discovered in Cretaceous sediments in Minas Gerais by a municipal worker.

Dating back to the end of the dinosaur era, the strange head of this remarkable terrestrial crocodile has revealed much about the extinct Baurusuchia breed of crocodiles.

Huge teeth: The fossil of Pissarrachampsa sera's head, which scientists believe ate dinosaurs, was discovered in Cretaceous sediments in Minas Gerais by a municipal worker

Huge teeth: The fossil of Pissarrachampsa sera's head, which scientists believe ate dinosaurs, was discovered in Cretaceous sediments in Minas Gerais by a municipal worker

Lead researcher Hans Larsson, of McGill University in Quebec, said: 'Whereas modern-day amphibious crocodiles have low and flat heads, this new find gives us one of the first detailed insights into the head anatomy of this weird group of extinct crocs called Baurusuchia that feature tall, dog-like skulls with enlarged canines, and long-limbed body proportions.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2018534/Pissarrachampsa-sera-The-70million-year-old-crocodile-huge-teeth-dogs-head.html#ixzz1T9U6h1ET

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