Prehistoric 'terror crocodiles' had 'teeth the size of bananas'

This beast could take on even the most fearsome dinosaurs.

Some 75 million years ago, gigantic, 33-foot-long crocodiles roamed the Earth, a new study reports. Known as Deinosuchus (Latin for "terror crocodiles"), these creatures were among the largest crocs ever in existence, researchers said.

"Deinosuchus was a giant that must have terrorized dinosaurs that came to the water's edge to drink," said study lead author Adam Cossette of the New York Institute of Technology, in a statement. "Until now, the complete animal was unknown. These new specimens we've examined reveal a bizarre, monstrous predator with teeth the size of bananas."

From previous studies of cranial remains and bite marks on dinosaur fossil bones, paleontologists have long speculated that the massive beasts preyed on dinosaurs. The new study further confirms that Deinosuchus certainly had the head size and crushing jaw strength to do just that.

The crocodiles lived in both western and eastern portions of present-day North America. At the time, the continent was cut in half by a shallow sea that extended from the Arctic Ocean south to the present-day Gulf of Mexico.

In spite of the creature's name, they were actually more closely related to alligators, the study said.

Deinosuchus disappeared before the main mass extinction at the end of the age of dinosaurs. The reason for its extinction remains unknown, researchers said. From here, the authors call for more studies to further understand the beast.

Hell ants: Fossil of fearsome 'hell ant' that used tusk-like jaws to hunt its victims discovered in amber

"It was a strange animal," said study co-author Professor Christopher Brochu, a palaeontologist from the University of Iowa, in a statement. "It shows that crocodylians are not 'living fossils' that haven't changed since the age of dinosaurs. They've evolved just as dynamically as any other group."

The study was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Terror crocodiles' had 'teeth the size of bananas'