Galloping Crocodiles

[ysabetwordsmith]

Giant croclike carnivore fossils found in the Caribbean

Imagine a crocodile built like a greyhound -- that's a sebecid. Standing tall, with some species reaching 20 feet in length, they dominated South American landscapes after the extinction of dinosaurs until about 11 million years ago. Or at least, that's what paleontologists thought. A new study shows the Caribbean Islands were a refuge for the last sebecid populations at least 5 million years after they went extinct everywhere else.

LOL yes, I spotted those in Peculiar Obligations. Nice to know people have found them in the Caribbean here too, and later than expected.  They're often called galloping crocodiles or hooved crocodiles.  Here are some different examples.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

You could drop those into a D&D game as-is !

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That'd be fun. Have some sunning themselves, and players would think they're the slow kind, then the galloping crocodiles jump up and chase them. :D

Re: Yes ...

[siliconshaman]

Oh that's evil! I like it!

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's the point of being a game master -- the evil twist that makes a session into a memorable, retellable story. :D It's a challenge to surprise experienced gamers. I'm very fond of using science for that. And there's always the possibility that one of the nerds will recognize the easteregg, which is also fun.

Re: Yes ...

[siliconshaman]

You and I have very similar play styles... although I am guilty of including puns.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I like puns. They are a form of humor based on wordplay instead of mocking somebody.

[greghousesgf]

I wanna know if these things could run as fast as greyhounds....

Hmm ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Greyhound dog top race speed = about 45 mph

Cougar = 40-50 mph

Whitetail deer = 35-40 mph

Wolf = 31-37 mph

Average human = 28 mph

American crocodile = 20 mph

Nile crocodile = 19-22 mph

Saltwater crocodile = 15-18 mph

I could not find speed estimates for any hooved crocodile. If we guess half again to double the speed of a short-legged one, however, that would be 30-40 mph which is faster than a human and at least equal to many other terrestrial predators. But still a little slower than a greyhound's top racing speed.

Re: Hmm ...

[siliconshaman]

But the error bars mean it could be as fast if not faster than a greyhound. Certainly the biomechanics suggest it was evolved as a short-distance high speed pursuit predator... kind of like a cheetah.

[kellan_the_tabby]

... & I thought fast zombies were scary.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I've had some serious WTF moments in Peculiar-Earth.

Oh, a crocodile ... wait, why it is the size of a bus? What are they even eating? Oh, boat-sized turtles, okaaayyy.

What the fuck was that?! It seems to be a ... galloping ... crocodile.

... I need to do more research.

Re: Yes ...

[kellan_the_tabby]

see, & I'd just be wondering if one could make friends with a crocodile ...

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Apparently you can if you raise one from a hatchling. Or at least, you can teach it to associate you with the arrival of food, so it's less inclined to bite or hide.

Re: Yes ...

[kellan_the_tabby]

The definition of 'friend' varies wildly by species. Alas, it appears that my dreams of convincing a galloping crocodile to let me come along for a ride are probably doomed to failure.