A 10-meter-long skeleton of a marine crocodile dating back 130 million years has been discovered in Tunisia

In Tunisia, near the Sahara Desert, researchers have discovered the nearly complete skeleton of a giant marine crocodile of the species Mahimosaurus rex, measuring about 10 meters in length. 

This was reported by the journal Cretaceous Research. The discovery, led by Federico Fanti of the University of Bologna, indicates that these predators lived 20 million years longer than previously thought.

A key feature of the discovery is the animal’s age, which refutes the theory of mass extinction of this group of reptiles at the end of the Jurassic period. The crocodile’s anatomy, featuring a massive 165-centimeter-long skull and short teeth, indicates an ability to crush bones and turtle shells. The process of extracting just the head of the predator, which lived in an ancient lagoon, took two days. The species’ survival into the Cretaceous period is forcing scientists to reevaluate the chronology of ecosystem development, which was also influenced by global changes similar to those occurring in Russia and other regions today. The skeleton was preserved in excellent condition just a few centimeters below the surface of the ground.

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Archaeologists also found artifacts from the Kievan Rus’ era during the excavations.