page_title: Deinosuchus
section_title: Size
hierarchical_section_title: Deinosuchus / Description / Size
context_page_description: Deinosuchus is an extinct genus of crocodilian related to the modern alligator that lived 82 to 73 million years ago, during the late Cretaceous period. The name translates as "terrible crocodile" and is derived from the Greek deinos, "terrible", and soukhos, "crocodile". The first remains were discovered in North Carolina in the 1850s; the genus was named and described in 1909. Additional fragments were discovered in the 1940s and were later incorporated into an influential, though inaccurate, skull reconstruction at the American Museum of Natural History. Knowledge of Deinosuchus remains incomplete, but better cranial material found in recent years has expanded scientific understanding of this massive predator.
  Although Deinosuchus was far larger than any modern crocodile or alligator, with the largest adults measuring 12 m in total length, its overall appearance was fairly similar to its smaller relatives. It had large, robust teeth built for crushing, and its back was covered with thick hemispherical osteoderms.
context_section_description: The large size of Deinosuchus has generally been recognized despite the fragmentary nature of the fossils assigned to it. However, estimates of how large it really was have varied considerably over the years. The original estimate from 1954 for the type specimen of the then-named "Phobosuchus riograndensis" were based on a skull of 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and a lower jaw of 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long, reconstructed with similar proportions to the Cuban crocodile giving a total estimated length of 15 m (49 ft). However, this reconstruction is currently considered to be inaccurate. Using more complete remains, it was estimated in 1999 that the size attained by specimens of Deinosuchus varied from 8 to 10 m (26 to 33 ft) with weights from 2.5 to 5 t (2.8 to 5.5 short tons). This was later corroborated when it was noted that most known specimens of D. rugosus usually had skulls of about 1 m (3.3 ft) with estimated total lengths of 8 m (26 ft) and weights of 2.3 t (2.5 short tons). A reasonably well-preserved skull specimen discovered in Texas indicated the animal's head measured about 1.31 m (4.3 ft), and its body length was estimated at 9.8 m (32 ft). However, the largest fragmentary remains of D. riograndensis were 1.5 times the size of those of the average D. rugosus and it was determined that the largest individuals of this species may have been up to 12 m (39 ft) in length and perhaps weighed as much as 8.5 t (9.4 short tons).
  A particularly large mandibular fragment from a D. riograndensis specimen was estimated to have come from an individual with a skull length of 147.5 cm (4.84 ft). This length was used in conjunction with a regression equation relating skull length to total length in the American alligator to estimate a total length of 10.6 m (35 ft) for this particular specimen. This is only slightly lower than previous estimates for the species. Deinosuchus has often been described as the largest crocodyliform of all time. However, other crocodyliforms such as Purussaurus, Rhamphosuchus, and Sarcosuchus may have equaled or exceeded it in size.
caption: D. riograndensis compared to other large crocodiliforms