Caribbean’s Last Dinosaur-Era Predators: Survival Secrets Revealed!

Fierce crocodile-like predators with razor-sharp teeth clung to survival in the Caribbean until 4.5 million years ago—millions of years after their mainland relatives vanished—reveals a groundbreaking fossil discovery.

Scientists uncovered vertebrae and serrated teeth in the Dominican Republic, rewriting the timeline for sebecids, a reptile group that thrived post-dinosaur extinction. Published in Proceedings B, the findings challenge assumptions about ancient Caribbean ecosystems, showing these land-based hunters outlived South American sebecids by over 6 million years.

Sebecids, distant crocodilian cousins, once dominated as apex predators with dinosaur-like features: upright limbs, blade-like teeth, and narrow skulls. While mainland sebecids died out 10 million years ago, Caribbean fossils suggest they persisted in tropical refuges as climate shifts squeezed their habitats. Researchers speculate they reached islands via land bridges or floating vegetation, sharing the region with gharials, giant rodents, and primates.

The discovery also reshapes theories about Caribbean wildlife evolution. Flightless birds likely coexisted with these predators, contradicting earlier beliefs that island ecosystems lacked land-based carnivores. “It’s mind-blowing,” says paleontologist Jonathan Bloch, noting sebecids were the last survivors of the Jurassic-originating notosuchians.

As the Caribbean’s final “dinosaur-era” predators, their extinction marks the end of a 150-million-year reign. “They were ecosystem pillars until surprisingly recently,” remarks Pedro Godoy, underscoring their overlooked role in Earth’s history.