Peru finds giant crocodile fossil in Amazon
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04/12/2004
Peruvian explorers have discovered the fossilized remains of a giant, 46-foot-(14-meter)-long crocodile deep in the Amazon jungle, lending credence to a theory that the world's largest rain forest was once a huge inland sea, a scientist said. A French-funded expedition of 12 scientists found the remains of the crocodile's huge skeleton, jaw and teeth under the thick undergrowth of Peru's northern jungle which is part of the Amazon basin. Once weighing 9 tonnes and with a 4-foot(1.3-meter)-long head, the crocodile is only the second fossil discovery of its kind in three decades, said Rodolfo Salas, head of paleontology at the National History Museum of Peru, whose expedition received funding from the University of Toulouse and French clothing company Devanlay.