Kaprosuchus Was a Giant, Dinosaur-eating 'Boar Croc'

That's one enormous crocodile âÂ er, reptile. Catmando / Shutterstock

Travel back about 95 million years ago to the Late Cretaceous period, and you might just find a "boar crocodile" called the kaprosuchus.

This prehistoric crocodile was discovered in Africa's Sahara Desert in 2009 by paleontologist Paul Sereno and nicknamed "Boar Croc." Sereno and macroevolutionary biologist Hans Larsson described the genus, based on that single, nearly-complete skull found in Niger.

Where Did the Kaprosuchus Live?

Kaprosuchus saharicus lived in what is now the Sahara Desert in Niger, Africa. Even though the Sahara is a desert today, back in the Cretaceous, it was a lush, swampy environment with large rivers, lakes, wetlands, dense vegetation and diverse wildlife.

Most crocodiles are semiaquatic, living on both land and water, and the kaprosuchus' ability to hunt on both terrain types likely gave it a huge advantage over other cave creatures and predators.

What Made the Kaprosuchus Built for the Hunt?

Most crocodiles have side-facing eyes. The position of the kaprosuchus eye sockets were more forward-facing, suggesting a more active, land-based hunting style.

Fossil evidence from its upper jaw and lower jaw also shows that the kaprosuchus had three pairs of large, boar-like tusks. These unusually large caniniform teeth were designed for gripping and slicing through prey and would have been perfect for taking down small dinosaurs and different creatures in its ecosystem.

And unlike modern crocodiles, the kaprosuchus had long, robust legs, which suggest it could move efficiently on land. Imagine a crocodile-like creature being able to both launch itself out of the water or from a terrestrial hiding spot to ambush its prey in a leap attack.

The Kaprosuchus in the Game 'Ark: Survival Evolved'

"Ark: Survival Evolved" is an open-world survival game developed by Studio Wildcard. It was first released in 2017 and is available on multiple platforms, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.

The game takes place on a mysterious island filled with dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures. Players can tame and ride a kaprosuchus.

The game takes the boar croc's real-life abilities to another level. Its exaggerated leap attack lets it grab players and drag them away, often into danger. This makes it one of the most feared predators in the game, especially when navigating scorched earth or swampy areas.

If you find yourself up against a wild kaprosuchus, be ready to dodge its jump and fend it off with weapons or bio toxin. To tame this beast, you can use tranq arrows and other tricks.

The kaprosuchus is actually considered an "easy tame" with the right tools. Once tamed, the kaprosuchus is a great companion for navigating dangerous environments and even hunting down raw meat for food.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.