Deinosuchus riograndensis

Deinosuchus riograndensis was a giant alligatoroid crocodilian whose large individuals may have approached about 10 meters in length, though exact size estimates remain debated among paleontologists. Its broad, powerful snout and robust skull set it apart from other large crocodilians.

Fossil evidence, including bite marks on dinosaur bones, suggests that Deinosuchus was capable of preying on dinosaurs that came near the water's edge. Its massive size and powerful jaws would have made it an apex predator in Late Cretaceous river and coastal environments of western North America.

Deinosuchus belonged to the alligatoroid lineage, making it more closely related to modern alligators than to crocodiles, but it was vastly larger than any living species. Its broad snout morphology is broadly similar to that of modern alligators, though on a much grander scale.

Deinosuchus riograndensis fossils have been found in Late Cretaceous deposits in western North America, including Texas and surrounding states. Additional Deinosuchus material has been recovered from the eastern United States, though species classifications within the genus vary.