62-million-year-old crocodile fossil found in Brazil

BRASILIA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A fossil of a previously unknown prehistoric crocodile has been found in northeastern Brazil, local media reported Wednesday.

The crocodile, with a length of three meters, lived after the extinction of the dinosaurs 62 million years ago, researchers said, and lived in the ocean.

The animal, a ferocious marine predator, is part of the Dyrosauridae group, said researchers.

Guarinisuchus munizi -- the "warrior of the seas," as the crocodile has been dubbed, is believed to have had its origins in Africa some 200 million years ago.

The find will help researchers clarify the migration route of the animals that originated in Africa and migrated to America, researchers said.

They presume that the crocodiles left the African coast and are believed to have occupied zones in America after traveling a distance of 2,000 km.

The fossil was found in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco.