Jurassic predators once ruled the Caribbean islands

Imagine: You were on a beach vacation in the Dominican Republic about 5 million years ago. As you wander inland, you suddenly freeze. Something is looking at you. event. It is not hidden in the water like modern crocodiles. It stands high on four powerful legs and is designed to chase prey on land. The shaver jagged teeth and up to 20 feet long, this nightmare creature has occupied millions of years of the Caribbean archipelago, and scientists have only found the fossils!

The beast is Sebecid (pronounced as “seh-beh-sid”), a cousin of an alligator, but even more frightening because it is hunting entirely on land. Think of it as a “crocodile-built crocodile” – This is how paleontologists describe these predators who seem to combine the worst parts of crocodile and dinosaurs.

“The emotions of finding the fossil and realizing what it is are, are indescribable,” said Lazaro Viñola Lopez, who helped reveal the remains when he was a graduate student.

The story began about 30 years ago when scientists discovered mysterious teeth in Cuba. The jagged edges of these 18 million teeth are perfect for cutting into meat. Later, another tooth in Puerto Rico was older than 29 million years old. But without more evidence, scientists cannot determine what organisms these teeth belong to.

Everything has changed in 2023. The researchers found another tooth in the Dominican Republic – but this time, it carries two vertebrae (backbone bones). Although this is not much, it is enough to confirm that the Sebechs once ruled the Caribbean Islands!

This discovery completely changes our view of Caribbean history. Scientists once believed that these islands had never had large predators. That’s why many unique island animals evolved there – something strange happening when the Great Predator went missing. Birds lose their ability to fly (they do not need to escape predators), while prey animals lose their ability to defend.

Today’s Caribbean ecosystems follow this pattern. Top predators are mainly prey and smaller reptiles. But these Seebeckard fossils reveal a shocking plot twist – there was indeed a long time ago the big land predators!

“You won’t be able to predict the observation of modern ecosystems,” said Jonathan Bloch of the Florida Museum of Natural History. “The existence of the Great Predator is indeed different from what we thought before.”

This discovery may also solve another mystery: how did these land-based hunters even reach the island? It is impossible for them to swim in the open ocean. This supports a theory called the Gaarlandia hypothesis that temporary land bridges or island chains once connected South America to the Caribbean, allowing animals to migrate.

Finding fossils in the Caribbean is super challenging. Unlike the dry deserts where many dinosaur fossils were found, the humid climate of the Caribbean quickly erodes the rocks. In addition, modern forests cover many potential fossil sites.

The Seebeckard fossil was discovered only because the road construction workers crossed the hillside. “The outcrop doesn’t last too long, so you can go there if possible,” explains Viñola-Lopez. “When they cut down the road or after a few months, you’ll find fossils. If you look in a few years, it’ll disappear.”

What is even more shocking is that these Caribbean Sebec people survived at least 5 million years after their extinction in South America! Islands often become safe havens for ancient species – like the real-life Jurassic Park, where extinct creatures have longer creatures than anywhere else.

The research team published their findings in the Journal of the Royal Society’s Science. With more and more discoveries in the Caribbean, scientists believe this is just the beginning. As Viñola-Lopez said, “Sebecid is just the tip of the iceberg.”

So, next time you relax on the Caribbean beach, take a moment to imagine these ancient predators once roaming these paradise islands. Just glad they are not on your vacation!

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