Sebecus

The name Sebecus comes from the Latinization of the crocodile god Sobek of Ancient Egypt. Sobek was considered the alternative because Champsa was claimed by a Greek historian to be the Egyptian word for crocodile and the Greek word for crocodile is suchus.

The fossils were discovered by the Scarritt Patagonian Expedition (led by American George Gaylord Simpson) and shipped to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. While this provided global fame for the species, it is part of a broader historical trend of "fossil colonialism," where South American heritage was moved to Northern Hemisphere institutions.

In contrast to modern crocodiles, Sebecus icaeorhinus had a tall, narrow-bodied, fully terrestrial body form; long, upright legs held beneath the body rather than sprawled; a deep, narrow, laterally compressed skull; a short, high, rather than flat snout; and large, blade-like, serrated (ziphodont) teeth that resembled those of theropod dinosaurs. Compared to contemporary crocodilians, the scute had less body armor.

Overall, it would have resembled a dinosaur-like predator or reptile wolf rather than a swamp crocodile. Sebecus was approximately 3–4 meters (10–13 feet) in length.

Sebecus is not a direct ancestor of modern crocodiles—rather, it represents a side branch that specialized for land predation.

Sebecus was probably a fast runner for a crocodile, capable of pursuing prey on land with a powerful bite designed to cut through flesh. Because Sebecus lacked the flattened tail and sprawling stance necessary for underwater ambush, it was a poor swimmer in comparison to current crocodilians. It therefore likely avoided deep water. Sebecus was mostly a land predator, avoiding or secondary to water.

Naturally, Sebecus had a short tail for slapping, legs and claws for racing, digging, and seizing prey, and teeth that were mostly used as weapons. Sebecus was likely used a "slash and bleed" tactic. Its serrated teeth were designed to slice through flesh and cause rapid blood loss, rather than the "death roll" and crushing bite used by modern alligators.

It would be a nightmare to keep one. Sebecus would need a large terrestrial habitat the size of a small park and would be able to leap or climb out of many common fences, in contrast to a pet alligator that spends most of its time in a tank.

‬Sebecus would‭ ‬have been predators of other similarly sized animals,‭ ‬but unlike crocodiles that we know today,‭ ‬Sebecus would have been more terrestrial and hunting on the land.‭ ‬Details of the anatomy such as longer legs and eyes that are on the sides of the head rather than orientated to look up all support this conclusion.‭ ‬The snout of Sebecus was deep,‭ ‬indicating longer jaw closing muscles that in turn suggest that‭ ‬had a particularly strong bite.‭ 

The teeth of Sebecus have also been noted to be similar to the teeth of the earlier tyrannosaurid dinosaurs.‭ ‬These teeth had fairly blunt tips but were strongly serrated,‭ ‬with the serrations adapted for tearing up the preys muscle fibres.‭ ‬Combined with the extra strong jaw closing muscles and Sebecus may have hunted animals that had notably tough hides,‭ ‬possibly even crunching through bones. This suggested that Sebecus was a carnivore that ate most of its kill when it made one. It might also hint at a life more suited to scavenging but scavengers don't need large, serrated teeth for eating rotting flesh so it was most likely an active carnivore.

Sebecus consumes fish, reptiles, birds, and medium-sized mammals. For this notosuchian, they hunt by ambush or short chase, bite-and-tear feeding, and competition with carnivorous mammals (early carnivoramorphs). Large mammalian carnivores eventually took up the niche that Sebecus occupied.

There is no documented direct cultural symbolism associated with Sebecus. An iconic example of 20th-century Western scientific naming procedures that frequently disregarded indigenous South American mythology in favor of Greco-Roman or Egyptian classical parallels is the naming of an animal discovered in Patagonia after the Egyptian god Sobek.

Its name alludes to the Egyptian god Sobek, however this is a scientific naming convention rather than cultural appropriation, and neither Argentinians nor Egyptians are being misused or stereotyped. Contemporary representations in video games and other media are usually fictionalized paleontology rather than cultural exploitation of either Egyptians or Indigenous Argentinians.

Reproduction

Not directly known, but inferred from crocodyliform biology:

• Egg-laying (oviparous).

• Sebecus was likely laid eggs in buried nests on land.

• Possibly provided limited parental care, such as guarding nests.

• Young were likely precocial (mobile soon after hatching).

Sebecus was primarily solitary, fiercely territorial, active during the day (diurnal), and hostile to competitors. Sebecus killed animals using their mouths rather than their limbs, and they are unlikely to engage in social behaviors like pack hunting. Compared to the sluggish activity of basking modern crocodiles, its behavior might have been more "alert" and active.

It wouldn't be amicable. Anything within its size range was considered potential prey by the active predator Sebecus. It is significantly more deadly to humans on land because to its speed than a modern crocodile, which can be avoided by just avoiding the water's edge.

Sebecus and its relatives eventually vanished due to climatic and geological shifts due to a combination of:

• Climate change at the end of the Eocene.

• Cooling and drying environments.

• Rise of placental mammalian predators.

• Loss of prey and suitable habitats.

Mammals and flightless birds outcompeted terrestrial crocodyliforms in most land niches.

During the Eocene, this species of sebecid was indigenous to Argentina and neighboring nations in the Casamayor and Sarmiento Formations. Sebecus does not rely on wetlands like contemporary crocodiles do; instead, it inhabits semi-arid forests, open floodplains, forest borders, and dry river systems.

• Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant

• Individual Type: Solo

• Population Trend: Stable

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale.

• Earth: 

  • Extinct: Argentina; Brazil; Chile; Peru

Sebecus is one of the most powerful tames for survivors, despite being small and serves as a decent guardian to yourself and your herd, and having a pack of 2-3 can safeguard you from predators like wolverines and wolves. Quickly knock it unconscious (use tranquilizer arrows, clubs, or anything else that can knock notosuchians unconscious) before it reaches water where it will gain the upper hand.

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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebecus

• https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Sebecus

• http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/s/sebecus.html

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Sebecus-icaeorhinus-910777924