Tag crocodile

Did a Crocodile eat a Dinosaur?

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Did a crocodile eat a dinosaur? 

Yes, a crocodile ate a dinosaur. Paleontologists at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum found a crocodile fossil and in its stomach (in its gut) was the remains of a dinosaur. This is very rare because it is the first evidence of a dinosaur predation in Australia – which means that a dinosaur was eaten. The dinosaur was the prey, not the predator. The crocodile was the predator.

Paleontologists are scientists who study fossil animals and plants. Fossils are life forms that existed thousands and millions of years ago.

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Dwarf Crocodile

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The Dwarf Crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis) is a reptile. It is also known as the African Dwarf Crocodile, the Broad-Snouted Crocodile, or the Bony Crocodile.

The Dwarf Crocodile is dark on its back and sides. Its underbelly is yellowish with black patches. It is heavily armoured around its neck, back, and tail. The back of its neck has four large, shield-like scales. It has a blunt, short snout (nose).

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Alligator Teeth, Crocodile Teeth

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Alligator teeth and crocodile teeth are different.

An alligator has a large, fourth tooth in the lower jaw that fits into a socket in the upper jaw.

A crocodile does not have a fourth tooth in the lower jaw.

An alligator’s teeth are not visible when the mouth is closed.

A crocodile’s teeth are visible when the mouth is closed.

Both alligators and crocodiles have between 74 and 80 teeth. As they wear down, they are replaced. They can have 3,000 teeth in a lifetime. Continue reading “Alligator Teeth, Crocodile Teeth” →

East African Nile Crocodile

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The East African Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus afrocanus) is the largest freshwater predator in Africa, and the second largest reptile in the world, second to the Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus). It is a crocodilian.

The East African Nile Crocodile is dark brown with faded blackish spots and stripes across its back, with a dirty-yellow belly. The colour darkens with age. It has four short legs, a long powerful tail, and a long snout with sharp teeth. They have thick scaly skin.

It has green eyes. Its nostrils, eyes and ears are on the top of the head, so that they can be seen out of the water when the rest of the body is underwater.

The East African Nile Crocodile has 64-68 sharp, pointy, cone-shaped teeth. It it loses a tooth, it can be replaced. On each side of the mouth, there are five teeth in the front of the upper jaw (premaxilla), 13 or 14 in the rest of the upper jaw (maxilla), and 14 or 15 on either side of the lower jaw (mandible).

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