Prehistoric Reptile of the Day - Deinosuchus

The "deino" in Deinosuchus is the same as the "dino" in dinosaur, connoting "fearsome" or "terrible." In this case, the description is apt: Deinosuchus was one of the largest of all prehistoric crocodiles, attaining lengths of about 33 feet. In fact, it was once thought to be the biggest croc that ever lived, until the discovery of the truly monstrous Sarcosuchus put it firmly in second place. (Ancient crocodiles were constantly growing--in the case of Deinosuchus, at the rate of about one foot per year--so it's hard to know how long the longest-lived specimens were.)

Other than its enormous size, Deinosuchus appears to have been remarkably similar to modern crocodiles--an indication of how little the crocodilian line of reptiles has changed over the past 100 million years.

Read more about prehistoric reptiles like Deinosuchus: Crocodiles - The Ancient Cousins of the Dinosaurs

Illustration: Wikimedia Commons