Suchomimus

(sook-oh-MIME-us)

Sucho = crocodile
Mimus = imitator

Size: 13 feet tall, 39 feet long
Weight: 3-5 tons
Range: Africa
Habitat: Lush forests, near water
Diet: Fish and meat
Time period: Cretaceous

Suchomimus is one of the latest major dinosaurs to be discovered and classified, having been found in 1998. Scientists can make educated guesses about how it lived though, because Suchomimus is comparable to certain other species - except much bigger.

Why the Long Face?

With its slender, elongated snout and powerful jaws filled with dozens of teeth, Suchomimus was similar to the modern False Gharial. Also like the false gharial, Suchomimus was probably a fish-eater that spent a lot of time in water.

Jaws Plus Claws

Although similar to its crocodile relatives, Suchomimus had many important differences, such as the ability to walk upright. It also had large, powerful hands with lethal hook-like claws. This was not a pleasant creature to mess with.

Let's Grab a Snack

Scientists are amazed by this species' unusually well-developed hands, with their curved, 12-inch nails and a 16-inch thumb for deadly gripping. It's believed the Suchomimus could simply reach into a stream and snatch up large fish in its claws. Sort of a "sushi-mimus."