Fearsome croc called the Carolina Butcher once ruled the north

Fossil find pegs giant, bipedal reptile as a top predator 230 million years ago

croc fossil

WHAT A CROC  Carnufex carolinensis, shown in this artist’s illustration, looked a lot like living crocodiles, but it walked on two legs, not four.

© Jorge Gonzales

Before dinosaurs ruled what is now North America, the Carolina Butcher topped the predator charts.