1.3" Crocodile Fossil Scute Armor Hell Creek FM Cretaceous Dinosaur Age Montana

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

Weight: 0.9 Ounces

Dimensions: 1.3 Inches Long, 1.1 Inches Wide, 1 Inch Thick

The item pictured is the one you will receive. 

Cretaceous Age through to the Eocene Age 

Crocodiles are reptiles of the order Crocodylia that have existed for millions of years, evolving into a variety of species over time. During the Cretaceous Period, approximately 145 to 66 million years ago, several crocodile species inhabited the Hell Creek Formation in the northern United States. This formation, which spans parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, preserves a diverse terrestrial ecosystem from the Late Cretaceous.

Among the most famous crocodiles from Hell Creek is Deinosuchus, a giant predator that ranks among the largest crocodile-like reptiles ever known. Some individuals reached lengths of up to 40 feet (12 meters). Deinosuchus had a robust body, a long, tooth-filled snout, and powerful limbs capable of both swimming and moving on land. As an apex predator, it likely preyed on dinosaurs and other large animals, occupying the top of the food chain.

Another species, Borealosuchus, was a medium-sized crocodile measuring around 10–15 feet (3–4.5 meters) in length. Borealosuchus had a more slender body than Deinosuchus and a long snout filled with sharp teeth, indicating a diet primarily composed of fish and small vertebrates.

The third species, Leidyosuchus, was smaller, reaching lengths of 6–8 feet (1.8–2.4 meters). It featured a broad, rounded snout with blunt teeth, suggesting it specialized in feeding on mollusks, crustaceans, and other small aquatic organisms.

Together, these crocodile species illustrate the diversity of crocodylian life in the Hell Creek Formation and highlight the varied ecological roles that crocodiles occupied during the Late Cretaceous.