An interesting discovery from the era of dinosaurs have been made by a team of scientists. A giant 120-million old crocodile which walked on two feet, similar to most dinosaurs was discovered in South Korea. A new study was published in Scientific Reports that details about these giant ancient crocs. Over 100 footprints of this 13-feet crocodile were found in Sacheon City, South Korea. Other than the crocodiles, researchers also discovered footprints of other animals, including dinosaurs, mammals and frogs. Spinosaurus Could Swim, Finds Breakthrough Research; Know More About The Longest Predatory Dinosaur That Existed 95 Million Years Ago.

The ancient crocodile is scientifically named Batrachopus grandis. It was 13 foot high weighing half a ton and walked on two legs. It had powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth. The legs were as long as the humans so they walked like a towering figure on their prey. Professor Martin Lockley, of the University of Colorado said, "They were giants. Nobody expected such large bipedal crocs." He added that they ate whatever was available. The team leader Prof Kyung Soo Kim also said that the findings were shocking. 'Dancing Dragon' Feather Dinosaur Fossil Living 120 Million Years Ago Uncovered in China, View Pics.

The tracks of these bipedal crocodiles were discovered near the shore of a shallow lake. The tracks were narrow, so they figured it was the back limbs. Heel to toe impressions was also clear which made it possible for them to reconstruct how the reptile would look like. The researchers at first glance thought the footprints belonged to a dinosaur but now they're convinced there were bipedal crocodiles millions of years ago. They only found footprints and no handprints on the site. "Fossil crocodile tracks are quite rare in Asia, so finding an abundance of nearly one hundred footprints was extraordinary," University of Queensland palaeontologist Dr. Romilio said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 12, 2020 11:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).