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[Oersted]

The fragmented fossilized remains of the horror-croc (nicknamed ‘Razana’, as in ‘Razana, Eater of Worlds’) have been described in a new paper in the journal PeerJ by a team of Italian and French paleontologists. The species was first documented in the literature more than a decade ago, but due to limitations of the fossils, its specific classification was unknown. Up until now, it wasn’t clear if Razana was a massive, meat-eating theropod dinosaur, or some other kind of reptile. New fossils of the jaws and teeth, collected from the same region of northwestern Madagascar where the first fossils were found, reveal that Razanandrongobe sakalavae—the “giant lizard ancestor from Sakalava region”—was actually a relative of today’s crocodiles and alligators.

Razana was a ‘notosuchian’, a group of crocodilians that differed from their close, still-living cousins in a few very important ways. For one, Razana and other notosuchians were specialized for terrestrial life. Their legs were positioned straight and erect under their bodies, allowing them to gallop and sprint after prey in a decidedly athletic, uncrocodile-like manner. Notosuchians like Razana also had elevated skulls, making them look more Velociraptor and less pancake-headed swamp monster. Notosuchians were fierce predators that ranged all over Gondwana during the last half of the Mesozoic Era, but the new findings demonstrate that none of these souped-up crocs were quite as formidable as the monster from Madagascar.

Razanandrongobe was huge, perhaps larger than any other known notosuchian. While it is hard to determine the exact size of an animal based on incomplete remains, the recovered portions of Razana’s head paint a picture of a carnivore that must have been a horrifying addition to ancient Madagascar’s fauna, an assemblage that included top predators like lithe, knotty-headed abelisaurs and razor-toothed ceratosaurs the size of pickup trucks. Razanandrongobe had a head as big as a washing machine, which evolution had outfitted with a battery of serrated, banana-sized teeth. These chompers were resilient and rugged enough, the researchers contend, that ol’ Razana might have been able to pulverize and gobble down bone and tendon along with its prey’s fleshy bits.

via

https://gizmodo.com/nightmarish-crocodile-relative-terrorized-dinosaurs-in-1796606251

Source

https://peerj.com/articles/3481

 

[vatstep]

cutie

 

[sixteen-bit]

Render looks like a Turok game

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

As if alligators and crocodiles weren't metal enough.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

 

[adj_noun]

Crikey!

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Could use invisalign.

 

[YesNOnoNOYes]

<3 razana

 

[More_Badass]

Banana-sized teeth? Isn't that a metric often used to describe the T Rex?

A giant croc with the jaws of a Rex is pretty cool

We better get these in Ark

 

[livestOne]

How come there isn't a religion based around that blessed asteroid that killed all these soulless hellish looking dead eyed monsters to make way for all us fleshy furry cute things

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

That's some Savage Land shit.

 

[Aki-at]

Crocodiles are cool. This is cool.

 

[HStallion]

How come there isn't a religion based around that blessed asteroid that killed all these soulless hellish looking dead eyed monsters to make way for all us fleshy furry cute things

Most likely because this happened 65 million years, at least, before humanity even showed up on the scene. The closest you get is ancient people digging up the remains of dinosaurs and thinking they were dragons or even inspiring the notion of dragons and other mythological creatures.

 

[AuthenticM]

It should be added to PUBG as a hidden easter egg like the Megalodon from BF4. Imagine players tumbling upon it. Bricks would be shat.

 

[BLOODED_hands]

That's pretty baller.

 

[JCHandsom]

Monster Hunter World is looking great!

 

[CrunchyFrog]

Banana-sized teeth? Isn't that a metric often used to describe the T Rex?

A giant croc with the jaws of a Rex is pretty cool

We better get these in Ark

Lol

 

[strafer]

Dammit Betty, stop feeding them.

 

[RocknRola]

Gotta love how Bananas are the fruit with more scale references ever

Still, it sounds utterly badass. Something I'd love to hunt in a game, for sure. Kinda explains how crocs are still so cool after all these years: Their whole evolutions tree was " MAKE IT MORE BADASS!" it seems

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

I love her.