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Ancient dinosaur-eating crocodile fossil found in Australia

A photo of a crocodile with a small dinosaur in its mouthImage source, Dr Matt White/Australian Age of Dinosaurs

Scientists have discovered a new species of crocodile and even worked out the last meal it ate!

They say it's the first piece of evidence of crocodiles eating dinosaurs, discovered in Australia.

When analysing the croc, researchers found the remains of a tiny ornithopod dinosaur inside its belly!

The fossilised remains of the crocodile, named Confractosuchus sauroktonos, are believed to be more than 95 million years old.

Image source, Dr Matt White/Australian Age of Dinosaurs
Image caption,

The skull of the ancient crocodile (confractosuchus sauroktonos)

The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum says that the discovery is "very rare".

The fossil was first discovered in 2010 and took 6 years to piece together. As the bones were too fragile, and inside a chunk of rock, technology allowed experts to pinpoint where exactly the bones were.

3D technology has allowed the scientists to find out more about the crocodile fossil, such as the skull being almost completely preserved and the creature's size.

An expert from the museum, Dr Matt White, says the crocodile and its last meal will give "clues to the relationships and behaviours of animals" that lived in Australia millions of years ago.

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