愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Newly discovered crocodile species ate a young dinosaur for its last meal, scientists say

An artist's rendering of the confractosuchus sauroktonos (Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum/Instagram) An artist's rendering of the confractosuchus sauroktonos (Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum/Instagram)
Share

A new species of dating back to the Cretaceous period has been discovered in Queensland, , and its last meal was a young dinosaur, scientists say.

The of a confractosuchus sauroktonos were excavated in 2010 from a sheep station near the Winton Formation, a geological rock bed that is about 95 million years old.

Inside the stomach of the 2.5 metre-long crocodile, scientists identified the partly digested remnants of a young ornithopod, according to a paper naming the new species published in the scientific journal .

This is the first evidence of a crocodile preying on a dinosaur in Australia, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, which made the discovery, said in a statement.

The crocodile sample, which was initially preserved in a siltstone mass, had been partially crushed. However, the damage revealed a number of small bones from the skeleton of a small creature.

Scientists used X-ray and CT scanning technologies to locate the bones inside the crocodile specimen, as well as ten months of computer processing to produce a 3D reconstruction of the bones.

With 35 per cent of the freshwater crocodile preserved, researchers were able to recover a near-complete skull of the animal. While they were unable to classify the young dinosaur inside its stomach, they described it as a juvenile weighing nearly 1.7 kilos.

The crocodile had killed the animal, or foraged it soon after its death, the press statement added.

Such a discovery is "extremely rare, as only a handful of examples of dinosaur predation are known globally," the press statement said.

"While Confractosuchus would not have specialised in eating dinosaurs, it would not have overlooked an easy meal, such as the young ornithopod remains found in its stomach," Dr Matt White, an associate at the museum who led the research, said in the press statement.

"It is likely dinosaurs constituted an important resource in the Cretaceous ecological food web.

"Given the lack of comparable global specimens, this prehistoric crocodile and its last meal will continue to provide clues to the relationships and behaviours of animals that inhabited Australia millions of years ago."

The confractosuchus sauroktonos is the second crocodile that has been named from the Winton Formation. The rock bed has exposed numerous scientific discoveries in recent years, including a 96-million-year-old in October 2019.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.