Deinosuchus
Die-no-su-kus
Name meaning: Terrible Crocodile
Time Period: Campanian (Late Cretaceous) 81.4-81 Mya
Locations: Usa/Mexico
Taxonomy: Sauropsida-Crocodilia-Eusuchia-Alligatoroidea
Species: D. hatcheri
Characteristics ~ ~ ~ ~
Deinosuchus is considered to be the largest crocodilian in history, reaching lengths of around 35 feet and weighed around 3 to 5 short tons. Deinosuchus was closer related to Alligators than to crocodiles however it is neither only being part of the Alligatoroidea super family so it’s not a ‘true’ Alligator. Deinosuchus had a robust skull and short teeth meant for crushing bone giving it an estimated bit force of around 100,000 N. Alongside it’s massive size Deinosuchus is believed to be primarily a dinosaur hunter waiting in rivers and estuaries for unsuspecting dinosaurs to take a drink then preforming the death roll and dragging them under. Various dinosaurs that may have been prey from Deinosuchus are Gryposaurus, Kritosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Chasmosaurus, Kosmoceratops, and various ankylosaurids tyrannosaurids and pachycephalosaurids. Deinosuchus is believed to take 35 years to reach maturity a slow growth rate compared to most crocodilians but reasonable considering its size. I personally believe that Deinosuchus like many other crocodiles did not stop growing after maturity and there could be exceptionally large individuals out there. Deinosuchus can be found all across a strip of North America, Canada and Mexico which would have been part of the continent Laramidia in the Late Cretaceous. Deinosuchus is also found around many costal environments, with Deinosuchus possibly hunting in some marine environments, however that is just speculation. Deinosuchus went extinct 74 mya before the KT-G extinction for unknown reasons however it was likely due to climate change.
History & Fossils ~ ~ ~ ~
Deinosuchus was discovered in the 1858 by teeth that were believed to be from a pliosaurid, and in 1903 osteoderms believed to be from a Euoplocephalus. The Discoverer John Bell Hatcher lost interest in the osteoderms when he learned they weren’t from a dinosaur and Deinosuchus wouldn’t be named until 1909 after he died.
Media Deptictions ~ ~ ~ ~
Jurassic Franchise Deinosuchus has made quite a few appearances in spinoffs. My favorite appearance is in Jurassic World Alive as the model is extremely high quality for a mobile game and I like the solid black, very sleek. Jurassic World the Game's is just jwa's but worse, and the level 4o isn't interesting. In Jurassic Park Builder, it was a Cenozoic creature for some odd reason. I understand that only Dinosaurs are in the main park but it's still weird. The Lost World arcade game gaslighted me into thinking that Deinosuchus was going to be in the novel, as the game also features the Camouflaging Carnotaurus which is the final boss.
The Isle Ever wanted to wait around two hours inside a river for one clueless dinosaur to risk taking a drink. Well Deinosuchus is for you although spawning as a tiny Deinosuchus may be challenging barely subsisting on the small ai fish Deinosuchus is one of the most powerful animals in The Isle. There is one particularly funny mutation that allows you to swim in salt water, but to do so you need to do nothing but chug salt water until you nearly die.
Jurassic World Evolution 3 Deinosuchus was the most requested species for this game. Initially people thought it would be in the wetlands Dlc, as it would make more sense than Hypsilophodon did in the pack. But alas it didn't make it and people made their voices heard about their disappointment especially Evolution Square who is kind of the Jwe3 community spokeswoman. Anyways Deinosuchus was added in the Crocodile coast Dlc alongside Postosuchus, Desmatosuchus, and the re-added Shonisaurus and Styxosaurus. It has a new mechanic where it can snatch dinosaurs out of the water as they are taking a drink, just as I described in the Isle. Deinosuchus has sexual dimorphism with the males having larger scutes on the tail
