"By the Cretaceous crocodilians of essentially modern form were the theropods [sic] main competitors. Yet crocodilians appear to be less abundant in most Mesozoic deposits than they are later in the mammal-dominated Cenozoic. Not only that, but they tended to be small-bodied: few specimens were as big as American alligators or Nile crocodiles. It is possible that theropods were eating the crocs. Even today, big cats once in a while kill a fairly large crocodilian. A tyrannosaur could have swallowed one whole, and gone into the water after them. Constant attacks could have suppressed croc populations, and favored the smaller, harder to catch species."
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People from Washington, D.C.IllustratorsScience authorsAuthors from the United StatesPaleontologists from the United States
Original Language: English
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Gregory S. Paul (1988) Predatory Dinosaurs of the World, Simon and Schuster, p. 69
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gregory_Scott_Paul
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Gregory Scott Paul
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