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SuperCroc's Jaws Were Superstrong, Study Shows
In a study based on measurements of the bite force of living crocodilians, researchers have concluded that the ancient Sarcosuchus imperator "SuperCroc" had jaws of steel that no prey not even small dinosaurs could pry open.
Chomp.
It weighed 17,500 pounds (7,938 kilograms), was 40 feet (12.2 meters) long, and probably ate dinosaurs for dinner.
Erickson and his colleagues extrapolated the bite force of SuperCroc from data they collected by provoking living alligators and crocodiles at a zoological park in Florida to chomp on a "bite bar." Basically a rod encased in leather, the instrument measures bite force strength in much the same way a bathroom scale measures weight.
In April 2002, Erickson and his colleagues took to the unbound lakes and rivers of central Florida to see if wild alligators bite with more force than those kept in captivity.
The original research—which was filmed for a National Geographic Special on SuperCroc that aired in December 2001
