1.3" Crocodile Fossil Jaw Section With Teeth Hell Creek FM Cretaceous Age MT Riker Box

Location: Hell Creek Formation, Montana (Private Land Origin)

Weight: 3.9 Ounces (With Riker Box)

Dimensions: 4.4 Inches Long, 3.3 Inches Wide, 1.4 Inches Thick (With Riker Box)

Dimensions: 1.3 Inches Long, 1.1 Inches Wide, 0.6 Inches Thick

Comes with a free Riker Box.

The item pictured is the one you will receive. 

Cretaceous Age through to the Eocene Age 

The order Crocodylia includes 23 living crocodilian species divided among three major families: crocodiles (13 species), alligators (2 species), caimans (6 species), and gharials (2 species). These remarkable reptiles are distributed across more than 100 tropical and subtropical countries, all located within roughly 4,000 kilometers of the equator, where warm climates and aquatic habitats allow them to thrive.

Global Distribution: Old World vs New World Crocodilians

Crocodiles are primarily Old World animals, inhabiting regions across Africa, Asia, and Australia. In contrast, alligators and caimans are native to the New World, including North, Central, and South America. Gharials are found in South Asia, where their specialized anatomy suits river ecosystems.

This geographic separation is one of the most important distinctions among crocodilian groups.

How to Identify Crocodiles, Alligators, Caimans & Gharials

Understanding the physical differences between crocodiles and alligators is key to accurate identification:

• Crocodiles have relatively narrow, V-shaped snouts. When their mouths are closed, the lower teeth remain visible, and there is a distinct notch on each side of the upper jaw that accommodates the lower fourth tooth.

• Alligators possess broader, more rounded U-shaped snouts. Their lower teeth are hidden when the mouth is closed, and they do not have the upper jaw notch seen in crocodiles.

• Caimans resemble alligators but are generally smaller and often display heavier body armor.

• Gharials are easily recognized by their long, slender snouts, an adaptation designed specifically for catching fish in flowing rivers.

These anatomical traits—snout shape, tooth visibility, and jaw structure—are essential for distinguishing crocodilian species.

240 Million Years of Survival

Crocodilians have existed for approximately 240 million years, making them one of the oldest surviving reptile lineages on Earth. They appeared about 25 million years before the first dinosaurs and nearly 100 million years before birds and mammals.

Fossil evidence reveals that some ancient crocodiles reached lengths of up to 40 feet, demonstrating the impressive size these reptiles once achieved. Despite dramatic shifts in climate and multiple mass extinction events, crocodilians have maintained a body plan that has changed very little over time.

As Dr. Perran Ross, a crocodile expert and wildlife ecology professor at the University of Florida, stated in The New York Times, ancestral crocodiles had essentially the same body structure seen today—likely because it is highly effective.

Closest Living Relatives of Dinosaurs

Modern crocodiles are widely regarded as the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. They share important anatomical features, including bird-like hip bone arrangements and teeth set in sockets rather than fused directly to the jawbone. Recent taxonomic research suggests that dinosaurs, birds, and crocodilians belong to the same evolutionary branch, emphasizing their shared ancestry.

With 23 species spanning more than 100 countries near the equator and a lineage stretching back 240 million years, crocodilians represent a powerful living connection to prehistoric life and the age of dinosaurs.