Fossil of a prehistoric sea crocodile
It has been over 150 million years ago since sea crocodiles like this one, the metriorhynchus – swam in European waters. They were far better adapted to life in the water than modern crocodiles. Their legs were basically fins, their nose was longer and narrower, and they had a tail fin that gave them manoeuvrability in the water.
Also, they had well developed salt glands, an organ that filters salt from the blood, which enabled them to drink sea water or eat other sea animals. These were usually fish, but they also liked to hang around the far bigger plesiosaurus to scavenge parts of its prey.
This fossil has been acquired from palaeontologist and fossil merchant Bernhard Stürz from Bonn. He was a self-taught palaeontologist. He succeeded in gathering an enormous amount of knowledge. He published a lot about his findings and several species were named after him, such as the sea lily Taxocrinus stuertzi and the starfish Stuertzura. Stürz became honorary doctor of the university of Bonn in 1919.
This sea crocodile was not found in one piece, but was composed by different parts found in Russia, the English Oxford Clay Formation and an area near Peterborough. This was not uncommon in those days. The fossil was acquired around the year 1900 by the University of Groningen.| Last modified: | 13 August 2021 3.34 p.m. |