Suchomimus and Saltwater Crocodiles

Suchomimus by a River

Saltwater Crocodile in the Outback

I am posting these two animal drawings together because both were or are primarily aquatic reptiles that hunted in the water.   They had some real similarities.  They both were or are very large predators.   They both can sense movement in water.  Both had or have scales. . . etc. . . 

Suchomimus was a large Theropod dinosaur that lived in Africa in the Early Cretaceous Period.  It grew to be up to 36 feet or 11 meters long.  It was related to a Spinosaurs.  In fact it is considered a type of Spinosaur.  But Suchomimus did not have a sail on its back.  It DID ha e a long narrow snout with motion sensors in the tip.   It also had saber-like claws on the inside finger of each hand.  Spinosaurs were big and scary, but they had a relatively weak bite.  That claw was probably used to fillet fish.  There IS evidence that Spinosaurs were piscavores.  That means they ate primarily fish.   With their motion sensors in their snout the Spinosaurs could sense fish in the water.  

Saltwater Crocodiles are still with us.  We saw several in Northern Territory, Australia.  They are an awesome sight!  They can grow to be up to 20 feet or 6 meters.  The largest we saw was 17 feet long and beleive me it was impressive.   Saltwater crocs can handle living in brackish rivers and the regular ocean water.   They can and will eat almost anything, including other predators like sharks.  They are ambush predators and will drown land animals that they catch on or near river banks or on beaches.  Once in a while people are taken as well.  They actually have a safety net surrounding at least one of the beaches in Darwin, NT, Australia.  It keeps the crocs out so swimming is completely safe.   Salwater crocodiles live primarily around northern Australia and around the islands north of Australia.  This type of crocodile is also called an Estuarine Crocodile.

Salties have an incredibly powerful bite.  Thier bite force has been measured at 16,414 Newtons.  (That is 3,690 pounds of force.)   This is probably about the same as  the jaw biting force of Spinosaurs.  As amazing as that is realize that T. rex probably had a bite force way more at around 53,000 Newtons!  Spinosaurs were evolved to catch and eat fish, not to crush bone like T. rex did.
Still, when you see and hear a saltie or Saltwater croc snap its jaws it is scarily impressive!

Here are some photos I took of Saltwater Crcocodies, in Australia, Northern Territory.  Some are from Kakadu National Park.  Some are from Crocodylus Park in Darwin.   

NOTE:  The drawings are found by clicking on the correct button up top.  Scroll to the bottom of the list for new drawings like these two drawings at the top of today's blog entry.  

Males are way bigger than the females.  This male was 5.1 meters long.  

Saltwater Croc in River

I think this is a female.  Same as the above photo. 

When its jaws snapped shut it was really really loud!

Sunnset at Mindil Beach in Darwin, Northern Territory.  No one got eaten.

  I don't think that this beach  has a net.  But it has a Sunset Market 

and absolutely amazing sunsets!

This is actually a Freshwater Crocodile. 

 It was seen in Kakadu National Park, Katherine Gorge.

Close up of the same croc. 

Salt Water Crocodile by a River

Yes I know I should have made Salt Water a compound word. 

This was drawn on the plane.  It has already been posted before.

The top two drawings on today's blog post were drawn as follows...

The crocodile drawn AFTER seeing crocs in the wild while we were

still in Australia.  The Suchomimus drawn after we took our grandkids

to the Museum of Ancient Life in Lehi, Utah.  It was drawn this week. 

Suchomimus skull and arm and Claw at Museum of Ancient Life

Let me tell you something that gave me a laugh.  I typed in the name of

this dinosaur, Suchomimus, and spell check called it:  "Such ominus."   

Now, that is incorrect, but also correct.  

At 36 feet long, Suchomimus WAS very ominus!
I mean, look at that huge claw!