Brazil Finds Fossil of Crocodile 'Missing Link'

Brazilian paleontologists unveiled a fossil of a creature that they said is the “missing link” between prehistoric and present-day crocodiles.

Called “Montealtosuchus arrudacamposi,” the predator measured 1.5-1.7 meters (56-64 inches), weighed about 40 kilograms (88 pounds) and lived in the late Cretaceous Period (80-85 million years ago) in the region of Palo Alto, in Sao Paulo state.

Federal University of Rio de Janeiro paleontologist Felipe de Vasconcellos, who helped research the fossil found in 2004, said the reptile’s physical characteristics placed it between prehistoric crocodiles and their current descendants.
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