3.1" Crocodile Fossil Ossified Tendon Hell Creek FM Cretaceous Dinosaur Age MT

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

Weight: 2 Ounces

Dimensions: 3.1 Inches Long, 1.5 Inches Wide, 1 Inch Thick

The item pictured is the one you will receive. 

Cretaceous Age through to the Eocene Age 

Crocodiles of the Hell Creek Formation (Late Cretaceous)

Time Period: 145–66 million years ago
Location: Hell Creek Formation, USA (Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming)
Environment: Rich terrestrial landscapes with rivers, wetlands, and floodplains

1. Deinosuchus – The Giant Predator

• Size: Up to 40 feet (12 meters)

• Body: Massive and muscular, built for both land and water movement

• Skull & Teeth: Long, formidable snout filled with razor-sharp teeth for gripping large prey

• Diet: Likely hunted dinosaurs, large vertebrates, and other apex prey

• Role & Behavior: Dominated rivers and floodplains as the top predator, using its strength and size to ambush prey

• Description: With a body as long as a bus and jaws capable of crushing bones, Deinosuchus was one of the most fearsome crocodilians of its time, inspiring awe in the ancient ecosystems it ruled.

2. Borealosuchus – Medium-Sized Hunter

• Size: 10–15 feet (3–4.5 meters)

• Body: Slender and agile, ideal for navigating rivers and shallow waters

• Skull & Teeth: Long, narrow snout lined with sharp teeth for catching slippery prey

• Diet: Primarily fish, amphibians, and small vertebrates

• Role & Behavior: An opportunistic predator, Borealosuchus thrived in aquatic habitats, using speed and precision to capture prey

• Description: Borealosuchus was built for agility, weaving through waterways with its streamlined body, a master of fishing and ambushing smaller prey in the wetlands.

3. Leidyosuchus – Small Aquatic Specialist

• Size: 6–8 feet (1.8–2.4 meters)

• Body: Compact and sturdy, suited for shallow waters

• Skull & Teeth: Broad, rounded snout with blunt teeth

• Diet: Mollusks, crustaceans, and small aquatic organisms

• Role & Behavior: A specialized feeder, filling a niche that avoided competition with larger crocodiles

• Description: Though modest in size, Leidyosuchus thrived along streams and ponds, expertly crushing shells and hunting small aquatic animals with precision, demonstrating the diversity of crocodilian life.

Summary:
The Hell Creek Formation was home to a remarkably diverse community of crocodiles, from the colossal apex predator Deinosuchus to the medium-sized hunter Borealosuchus, and the specialized small Leidyosuchus. Each species displayed unique adaptations that allowed it to thrive in the rivers, wetlands, and floodplains of the Late Cretaceous, illustrating the ecological richness of this prehistoric landscape.