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RALEIGH, N.C. — Before dinosaurs ruled the Earth, the “Carolina Butcher” was a top predator in North America.
The crocodilian ancestor was uncovered in North Carolina’s Pekin Formation and recently identified as its own species by a team from North Carolina State University. They called the 9-foot-long crocodylomorph “Carnufex carolinesis,” which translates to “Carolina Butcher,” according to researchers.
"When we got the bones out and prepared them, we found out that it was actually a really cool species," lead author Lindsay Zanno told The Washington Post. "It was one of the oldest and largest members of crocodylomorph — the same group that crocodiles belong to — that we've ever seen. And that size was really surprising."
The Carolina Butcher lived on land during the Late Triassic period, which was roughly 231 million years ago, according to the study. At that time, the area that now makes up North Carolina was located near the equator and featured a wet, warm climate.
Smaller armoured reptiles and early mammal relatives served as meals for the large crocodilian ancestor, which could walk on its hind legs, according to the study.
Researchers found the spine, upper forelimb and pieces of the predator’s skull in the formation. They used 3D modeling to reconstruct the skill, which was in fragments.
“Fossils from this time period are extremely important to scientists because they record the earliest appearance of crocodylomorphs and theropod dinosaurs, two groups that first evolved in the Triassic period, yet managed to survive to the present day in the form of crocodiles and birds,” Zanno said in a statement. “The discovery of Carnufex, one of the world’s earliest and largest crocodylomorphs, adds new information to the push and pull of top terrestrial predators across Pangea.”
While the Carolina Butcher enjoyed being a top predator for a time, it went extinct towards the end of the Triassic period as predatory dinosaurs made their presence known. However, smaller crocodylomorphs and theropods survived.
The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.