An enormous 16-foot long crocodile nicknamed the "swamp king" that terrorized ancient waters a few million years ago has been identified.
The new species of prehistoric reptile, Paludirex vincenti (which in Latin means "swamp king Vincent," after the late fossil collector Geoff Vincent) was discovered in Queensland, Australia, in the 1980s. It was only recently that researchers really examined the fossilized 25-inch-long skull to get an idea of the size of the beast.
"The 'swamp king' was one intimidating croc," the study's lead author, University of Queensland Ph.D. candidate Jorgo Ristevski, said in a statement.
"Its fossilized skull measures around 65 centimeters, so we estimate Paludirex vincenti was at least five meters long. The largest crocodylian today is the Indo-Pacific crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, which grows to about the same size. But Paludirex had a broader, more heavy-set skull so it would've resembled an Indo-Pacific crocodile on steroids."
Read Full Article »