哥伦布州立大学古生物学教授David Schwimmer耗时超过40年的研究成果近日得以呈现。一具31英尺长的Deinosuchus schwimmeri完整骨架科学复制品已安装在乔治亚州Tellus科学博物馆，这是首次根据科学证据制作的该物种准确骨架模型[1]。该复制品由化石扫描和Triebold古生物公司的专业技术联合制作而成[1]。
Deinosuchus schwimmeri是生活在约8300万至7600万年前美国东部的白垩纪巨型鳄鱼捕食者，体长可达31英尺，约为一辆校车大小[1]。Schwimmer自1979年开始发现该物种的首批化石[1]，并在2002年出版了专著《King of the Crocodylians: The Paleobiology of Deinosuchus》[1]。2020年，其发表在《脊椎动物古生物学杂志》上的研究正式确认Deinosuchus schwimmeri为不同物种[1]。2010年的研究发现了恐龙骨骼上的咬痕和粪化石，证实了该生物的捕食行为[1]。
A meticulously reconstructed skeleton of Deinosuchus schwimmeri, a massive prehistoric crocodile, has been unveiled at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. [1] The 31-foot-long replica represents the first scientifically accurate complete skeletal mount of this formidable creature, created through fossil scanning technology and expertise from Triebold Paleontology Inc. [1]
Deinosuchus schwimmeri roamed the eastern United States approximately 83 to 76 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. [1] This apex predator, roughly the size of a school bus, was formally recognized as a distinct species through research published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology in 2020. [1] David Schwimmer, a paleontologist at Columbus State University, has devoted over 40 years to studying this terror croc, beginning with his discovery of the first Deinosuchus fossils in 1979. [1] The species is notable for its predatory behavior toward dinosaurs, with evidence including bite marks and fossilized coprolites found on dinosaur bones from research conducted by Samantha Stanford in 2010. [1]