A huge pre-Jurassic reptile had less bite than crocodiles

2023-08-18 11:05:19

Saurosuchus Skull Recreation – UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

MADRID, 18 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The largest predators anticipated in the Jurassic had a much weaker bite than previously thought, and they probably could not crush the bones to consume the entirety of their prey.

In a new study published in The Anatomical Record, paleontologists from the University of Birmingham have recreated the original skull anatomy of Saurosuchus, a late Triassic reptile that is distantly related to modern crocodiles. Saurosuchus was thought to be an apex predator due to its size and diet, with a length between 5 and 8 meters and a weight of more than 250 kg.

However, the latest analysis of the reptile’s skulls and comparisons with the later known Allosaurus dinosaur found that despite their similar cranial strengths, the earlier crocodile relative Saurosuchus had a much weaker bite than the dinosaurs that followed it. Saurosuchus would have bitten with a force of 1015-1885 N, equivalent to modern crocodiles called gharials.

By comparison, allosaurus had a bite force of 3,572 N, saltwater crocodiles around 16,000 N, and Tyrannosaurus rex between 17,000-35,000 N.

Dr. Jordan Bestwick, a vertebrate paleobiologist at the University of Birmingham and corresponding author on the paper, said it’s a statement: “We found that Saurosuchus actually had an incredibly weak bite for its size and therefore preyed on animals in very different ways compared to the dinosaurs that evolved later. Indeed, despite being one of the lizards Larger and an apex predator, Saurosuchus had a bite that was on par with the relatively paltry bite of the gharial, and far less powerful than today’s more fearsome crocodiles and alligators.

Despite its relative size, Saurosuchus would have been a careful eater that it used its back teeth to remove meat from its prey, the study suggests.

Unlike later dinosaurs, Saurosuchus’s feeding behavior is likely due to a weak bite and a more rectangular skull shape. Also, these early reptiles had thinner nose bones compared to the later Allosaurus.

Dr Stephan Lautenschlager, Associate Professor of Paleobiology at the University of Birmingham and lead author of the paper, said: “Saurosuchus would certainly have been a fearsome reptile until it sat down to eat its prey, and we can see how the evolutionary details in the skulls of these huge apex predators required significant differences in feeding behavior.While the dinosaurs that followed in the Jurassic period would have eaten the vast majority of their prey, Saurosuchus may have left behind more complete carcasses, which would have provided a secondary meal for carrion feeding.”