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A giant croc spanning 16 feet ( 5 meters ) rein the waterway of south - eastern Queensland in Australia millions of long time ago .
investigator from the University of Queensland describe the reptilian giant — now dubbed “ swampland king " — after studying its fossilised 25 - inch - long ( 65 centimeters ) skull , which was first uncovered in the 1980s .
The “swamp king” was one intimidating croc.
In Latin , the genus namePaludirextranslates to “ swamp mogul ” and the mintage namevincentiwas opt to observe the former Geoff Vincent , a resident of the Ithiel Town of Dalby in southward - easterly Queensland who discovered the gargantuan skull near the townsfolk of Chinchilla in Queensland .
pertain : What ’s the earthly concern ’s heavy crocodile ?
The largest New - daycrocodileis the Indo - Pacific saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ) , which can grow to around the same size . Their record sizing is really even large at over 20 feet ( 6 m ) , gear up by Lolong who died in captivity in the Philippines in 2013,according to CNN .
" ButPaludirexhad a broad , more heavy - set skull , so it would ’ve resembled an Indo - Pacific crocodile on steroid hormone , " Jorgo Ristevski , a doctoral candidate at the University of Queensland ’s School of Biological Sciences , articulate in a statement . According to the researchers , this would have allowed the gargantuan croc to hunt outsized prehistoric marsupial and made it one of the top vulture in Australia .
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— How did the massive ' Salty ' crocodile get in Australia get so gross out big ?
The swamp tycoon probably go forth around the same time as modern - daytime crocs — within the last 55 million year . More enquiry is now being carried out to determine how these monumental crocs die out , while their slim relatives remained .
“ WhetherPaludirex vincentiwent extinct as a result of competition with species likeCrocodylus porosusis firmly to say , ” Steve Salisbury , a older reader at the University of Queensland and fellow writer of the study , said in the program line . " The alternative is that it went out as the climate dried , and the river system it once inhabited undertake , ” he explained , adding , “ we ’re currently enquire both scenarios . "
The findings were published Dec. 21 in the journalPeerJ.
Originally published on Live Science .
