May 27, 2016
Crocodylo-Month, Day 27: Gryposuchus
(Image by Paulo Marcio.)
Gryposuchus lived in South America during the Miocene period - the same time and place as Purussaurus, history’s biggest caiman. However, the two animals likely did not compete for food. Gryposuchus was a gavialid, and had a long, thin snout used for capturing fish, like the modern gharial; it was likely unable to attack the large terrestrial animals that Purussaurus would have fed on.
Five species of Gryposuchus are known, some of which may have inhabited coastal environments. All of these species are quite large, growing over thirty feet in length.