Around 105 million years ago, Tanzania was home to a very strange creature. It was about the size of a cat and had features that wouldn’t look out of place on a mammal – a slender frame, long legs, a short skull and a variety of teeth for cutting and grinding its food. But this was no mammal – it was a crocodile.

The newly discovered Pakasuchus has many trademark features that clearly mark it out as a crocodilian – the group that includes modern crocs and alligators. But it was very different to these living relatives, and some of its features were so mammal-like that its name even means “cat crocodile”.

Consider its skull. All modern crocs have a snout full