When we imagine of the most fearsome prehistoric predator , one of the first beasts that probably take form to mind for many is the iconicTyrannosaurus rex , but that probably has something to do with the movieJurassic Parksince there were many more redoubtable carnivore that could have putT. rexto ignominy . Someancient crocodiles , for model , could smash their jaggy jaws together at a force doubly as keen as theT. rex , and those still in existence today have the not bad bite forces ever measure for living animals .
But it seems that crocs may have some competition on their hands for the title of chomping title-holder thanks to a newfangled set of measurements find from an ancient reptilian that expand in South America around8 million years ago . This Middle to LateMiocenespecies , Purussaurus brasiliensis , also had a bite around twice as powerful as that of aT. rexand was able-bodied to sustain bite military force of 69,000 Newtons . That means it was able-bodied to maintain collation forces of up to 7 tons , or 11.5 t . AsBBC Newspoints out , to put that into perspective , that ’s around 20 sentence greater than that of a great white-hot shark .
But that ’s not the only reason that these extinct cayman would have been deserving avoiding . accord to newly published research , which appears inPLOS One , these mighty Miocene reptilian could reach length of up to 12.5 metre ( 41 foot ) , making them one of the largest known crocodilian reptile to have existed . Weighing in at some 8.4 measured tons , these teras would have had to devour almost 41 kilograms ( 90 pound ) each day . Thanks to its sheer size of it and incredible strength , this fauna would have been able to dine on a wide range of target and thus was a top predator in its wetland home ground .
AlthoughP. brasiliensisandT. rexnever actually confront each other , hypothetically speaking , T. rexwould have likely had a toilsome prison term fending off those voracious jaw , especially since the caiman ’s drumhead had a good architecture for biting and gripping prey .
“ The Purussaurus and the Tyrannosaurus lived in different ages , ” field writer Aline Ghilardi explains toBBC Brasil , “ but there is no incertitude that the Purussaurus would have pull ahead a fight between the two of them . ”
In the absence seizure of rivals , this metal money would have been free to have first pick of various tumid craniate for dinner and thus obviate challenger . But although they did n’t have anynatural predatorsand they were very successful for a period of sentence , their size of it may have contributed to their eventual downfall . In the face of achanging environmentdriven by the gradual visual aspect of the Andes mountains , their long - terminus survival may have been reduced and smaller , more bouncy species would have been favored .
[ ViaPLOS OneandBBC News ]
