{
  "id": 1583779,
  "title": "Bite Marks Reveal a 23-Foot Crocodilian May Have Dominated South America’s Wetlands 10 Million Years Ago",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/17/bite-marks-reveal-a-23-foot-crocodilian-may-have-dominated-south",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-17T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discover Magazine",
    "slug": "discover-magazine",
    "url": "https://www.discovermagazine.com/bite-marks-reveal-a-23-foot-crocodilian-may-have-dominated-south-america-s-wetlands-10-million-years-ago-49551"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Around 10 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch, South America was home to a vast wetland complex exceeding 300,000 square miles. This ancient landscape hosted huge herbivores, fierce predators, and crocodilians, some of which grew to an impressive 23 feet in length. An international team of researchers has published a study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology that suggests these colossal crocodilians may have been the region's most significant predators.\n\nThe study's lead author, Oscar Wilson, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, stated that \"crocodilians, in particular, were the region's most important predators,\" especially when it came to hunting large prey. During the Middle Miocene, the wetlands provided an abundant ecosystem, but mammalian predators couldn't have consumed all the available prey. This led the researchers to investigate the role of large crocodilians in shaping the ancient ecosystem.\n\nThe researchers examined fossils from the middle Miocene, dating between 10.5 million and 16 million years ago, including three large ungulates from La Venta in Colombia. Several of the bones bear puncture marks that closely resemble those left by modern crocodiles, suggesting that Purussaurus neivensis, a relative of modern caimans, was the dominant predator. The puncture marks likely resulted from Purussaurus attacking prey. The frequency of these marks indicates that Purussaurus played a critical role in the ancient ecosystem, shaping the size and abundance of herbivores.\n\nThe findings provide valuable insights into the behavior of these ancient crocodilians, which may have influenced nutrient cycling between land and freshwater environments in the Middle Miocene wetlands of South America.",
  "summary": "Learn how puncture marks on fossilized prey reveal how a 4,000-pound caiman relative possibly played an important role in the Miocene ecosystem.",
  "key_points": [
    "23-foot crocodilians roamed South America's wetlands 10 million years ago",
    "Researchers identify Purussaurus neivensis as dominant predator",
    "Fossil puncture marks suggest crocodiles shaped ancient ecosystem"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}