9.7" Crocodile Fossil Bones Cretaceous Age Morocco Crocodilian Stand

Location: Kem Kem, Morocco

Weight: 5 Pounds 0.8 Ounces

Dimensions: 9.7 Inches Long, 7.8 Inches Wide, 2 Inches Thick (Matrix)

The item pictured is the one you will receive. 

Comes with a Free Stand.

Cretaceous Age through to the Eocene Age 

There are 23 crocodilian species across three families: crocodiles (13 species), alligators (2 species), caimans (6 species), and gharials (2 species). They inhabit 100 countries in tropical and subtropical regions, all within 4000 kilometers of the equator.

Crocodiles are primarily Old World animals, while alligators and caimans are New World. How can you tell them apart? Crocodiles have relatively narrow snouts, lower teeth visible when their mouths are closed, and a distinct notch on each side of the upper jaw for the fourth lower tooth. Alligators feature wider, rounder snouts, no visible lower teeth when closed, and lack the notch. Gharials are identifiable by their long, slender snouts.

Crocodiles have existed for 240 million years, predating dinosaurs by 25 million years and birds and mammals by 100 million. Fossil evidence shows some ancient crocodiles reached lengths of 40 feet. Dr. Perran Ross, a crocodile expert and wildlife ecology professor at the University of Florida, told the New York Times, "Our primate ancestors were ratty little things that went around stealing eggs." He also noted that ancestral crocodiles had the same body shape as today, because it was effective.

Crocodiles are considered the closest living relatives of dinosaurs, sharing many features such as bird-like hip bones and socket-mounted teeth instead of fused ones. Recent taxonomic studies suggest dinosaurs, crocodiles, and birds all belong to the same animal group.