Deinosuchus

No, Deinosuchus was not a dinosaur. It was a giant crocodile-like reptile, more closely related to alligators.1

The largest Deinosuchus could grow over 9 meters (30 feet) long, longer than a school bus. Some specimens may have approached 10 meters.12

Yes, bite marks on dinosaur bones show that Deinosuchus attacked and ate large dinosaurs. It was an apex predator.12

Deinosuchus lived during the Late Cretaceous, about 82 to 73 million years ago.1

Deinosuchus fossils have been found in 12 U.S. states, including Texas, Montana, and along the East Coast, as well as in northern Mexico.1

Scientists think Deinosuchus may have lived for up to 50 years, growing slowly but for a very long time.1

Deinosuchus probably ate large dinosaurs, sea turtles, fish, and other aquatic and terrestrial prey. It was an opportunistic predator.1

Yes, its back was covered with thick, round bony plates called osteoderms, which acted like armor.1

Yes, Deinosuchus was more closely related to alligators than to crocodiles, though some scientists think it was a stem-group crocodilian.14

Nobody knows for sure, but like modern crocodilians, it was probably a slow runner on land and a fast ambush predator in water.1