17" Deinosuchus Rib Section On Stand - Aguja Formation, Texas

Deinosuchus Rib Section On Stand - Aguja Formation, Texas #51402

This is a 17" long (around curve) section of rib from the giant crocodilian Deinosuchus riograndensis. It comes with the pictured, custom metal display stand.

This specimen was collected within the past year on private deeded property in Brewster County, Texas. You won't see any other dinosaur material from the Aguja Formations for sale because nearly all of the formation lies the borders of a national park or in Mexico which can not be collected. One of our partners was lucky enough to purchase several hundred acres of ranch land in Texas containing a good exposure of these formations and we will be offering more material from the locality in the future.

These formations remain understudied, and many of the dinosaurs remain undescribed. Research collections are being put together from the locality and hopefully this material and the associated data will help shed more light on dinosaurs of West Texas in the future.

Deinosuchus, whose name translates to "terrible crocodile", is an extinct alligator that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Deinosuchus would have been an apex predator of its time, and fragmentary evidence indicates it may have reach absolutely gigantic sizes of up to 50 feet in length. Deinosuchus fossils have been found in 10 US states, including Texas and Montana, but more frequently along the east coast. It would have had a body shape fairly similar to modern crocodiles and likely preyed upon the dinosaurs present in its habitat. It likely had a bite force far in excess of even T. rex.

Deinosuchus specimen in the Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah. Creative Commons license.