While there’s no specific fossil record of a crocodile “raised like an arahant,” the concept of terrifying, ancient crocodiles is reflected in the discovery of Machimosaurus rex, a giant marine crocodile that lived 150 million years ago.
Here’s a breakdown of what we know about Machimosaurus rex and other ancient crocodile relatives:
Size and Appearance:
Machimosaurus rex was a massive marine crocodile, with a body length of up to 10 meters (33 feet) and a weight of 3 tons. The Washington Post reports that the skull alone was over 5 feet long.
Diet:
Fossil evidence suggests that Machimosaurus rex feasted on fish, turtles, shellfish, and even dinosaurs.
Habitat:
This giant crocodile lived in the Cretaceous period in what is now the Sahara Desert.
Other Ancient Crocodiles:
Sarcosuchus: Another large, ancient crocodile, with fully grown individuals estimated to have reached up to 9 to 9.5 meters (29.5 to 31.2 ft) in total length and 3.45 to 4.3 metric tons (3.80 to 4.74 short tons) in weight.
Deinosuchus: An extinct genus of alligatoroid crocodilian, related to modern alligators and caimans, that lived 82 to 73 million years ago (Ma), during the late Cretaceous period.
Evolutionary Context:
Crocodiles share a heritage with dinosaurs as part of a group known as archosaurs (“ruling reptiles”), who date back to the Early Triassic period (250 million years ago).
Arahant:
The concept of an “arahant” is a Buddhist concept referring to someone who has attained enlightenment and is free from suffering. The idea of a crocodile being “raised like an arahant” is a fictional and unlikely scenario.