Fun Indosuchus Facts For Kids

The Indosuchus was a dinosaur that was a Theropod and an Abelisaurid and had a close relation to the Abelisaurus. It was alive in the late Cretaceous period, specifically in the Maastrichtian stage, in the time period of 70-66 million years before today, and it was a carnivore. Fossils of the Indosuchus were unearthed in the Lamenta formation in late Cretaceous layers. Sedimentary rocks of the Lamenta formation are in Jabalpur, a city in the central-southern region of India. The Indosuchus inhabited terrestrial regions like lowlands, forests, and floodplains in what is now India. The Indosuchus was a vicious, bipedal, and carnivorous predator. It had small vestigial front limbs and hollow bones on its front side, along with powerful hind legs that enabled it to be a quick runner. It also had sharp, strong, and curved teeth along with a powerful neck that made it an efficient and ferocious predator.

For more relatable content, check out these Tupuxuara facts and Chilantaisaurus facts for kids.

How do you pronounce 'Indosuchus'?

Indosuchus is pronounced as 'In-do-soo-kus'.

What type of dinosaur was an Indosuchus?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) was an Abelisaurid dinosaur, and was related to the Abelisaurus Theropod.

In which geological period did the Indosuchus roam the Earth?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) was alive during the upper or late Cretaceous period, in the Maastrichtian age, in the time period between 70-66 million years ago.

When did the Indosuchus become extinct?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) Abelisaurid went extinct about 66 million years ago.

Where did an Indosuchus live?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) lived in lands known today as India.

Fossils of the Indosuchus were discovered in layers of the Lamenta formation of the upper or late Cretaceous period. The Lamenta formation is in the central-southern part of India. The exact place of discovery is the city of Jabalpur in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Other species to have been found in this formation of sedimentary rock are the Titanosaur Isisaurus, the Abelisaurid Indosaurus, the Raiasaurus, and the Laevisuchus.

What was an Indosuchus' habitat?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) lived in terrestrial habitats like floodplains, lowlands, and forests.

Who did an Indosuchus live with?

Being a carnivorous dinosaur, the Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) Abelisaurid probably hunted alone but may have also formed groups.

How long did an Indosuchus live?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius), being a carnivorous Theropod, lived on the lower end of the 30-80 years age range.

How did they reproduce?

These Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) dinosaurs reproduced by mating and laying eggs.

What did an Indosuchus look like?

The Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) looked like other bipedal prehistoric dinosaurs. It had tiny front limbs and a big head. The Indosuchus looked like the Indosaurus (Indosaurus matleyi), another genus and species discovered in the same Lamenta formation, who lived about the same time it did.

The bipedal posture of the dinosaur species helped in the chase of prey, providing a powerful stride and speedy runs. After catching up to the prey, the Indosuchus used its big muscular thighs, neck, trunk, and head to hold its feeding position until it was satiated. If another creature passed the Indosuchus by, it would be knocked off with haste.

Many Indosuchus species features remain clouded in mystery, because of fragmentary and minimal remains that have been found. Like other Theropods and Abelisaurids, teeth of the Indosuchus were sharp, curved, and strong enough to tear up and grip its prey. The skull of the Indosuchus also resembled those of other Abelisaurids, being tall and having a braincase of considerable length. The crested skull also had a flattened top. Eyes were at the top of the skull and the postorbital and lacrimal bones met to make a ridge around and above the eye.

Limbs had claws at the end of the digits which also came in handy for digging, shredding, and ripping. Front limbs were too short when compared to the powerful and big hind limbs, the forearm being 75% smaller than the upper arm. The elbow was immobile and the arm extended straight and moved only at the shoulder. The Indosuchus, along with several Ceratosaurian dinosaurs, had a characteristically unique feature: a loose attachment of the maxilla and premaxilla, a gap that was fit with big teeth made of dentary bone material. These were teeth used by the Indosuchus to deliver a swift killing blow to its prey.

The Indosuchus species of India had Ceratosaurian and bird-like features that helped it accelerate in presence of prey. The front end of its body was lighter and bones were hollow compared to its back. Vestigial limbs on the front cut down a ton of weight that allowed for free movement.

How many bones did an Indosuchus have?

The number of bones that an Indosuchus dinosaur had is not known.

How did they communicate?

The manner in which Indosuchus (Indosuchus raptorius) Theropods communicated is rather speculative. They must have utilized vocal and visual cues. They may have assumed dominating postures during territorial and mating disputes. As far as vocal cues go, they may have uttered grunts and hoots, as well as bellows, like other dinosaur species.

How big was an Indosuchus?

The Indosuchus length was 23-32 ft (7-9.7 m) and the Indosuchus height was about 16 ft (4.9 m). This makes the Indosuchus size five to eight times bigger than the Auroraceratops dinosaur size.

How fast could an Indosuchus move?

Since the Indosuchus was a Theropod and a carnivore, it may have moved around with speeds of 27 mph (43.4 kph). It is known to have been a quick and powerful runner.

How much did an Indosuchus weigh?

The Indosuchus weight was anywhere between 2,645.5-5,070.6 lb (1,200-2,300 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Male and female Indosuchus dinosaurs did not have any specific names.

What would you call a baby Indosuchus?

A baby Indosuchus would be called a hatchling or a nestling.

What did they eat?

The Indosuchus was vicious predator with a carnivorous diet who ate other dinosaurs, insects, lizards, and early mammals.

How aggressive were they?

Indosuchus dinosaurs were probably very aggressive dinosaurs since they had a carnivorous diet. These dinosaurs were dangerous to animals they preyed on and they may have also had fights regarding mating rights and territorial claims.

Did you know...

Charles Alfred Matley found partial and fragmented remains of a big creature in India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Matley was later joined by Friedrich von Huene in the classification and co-describing of the dinosaur with the name Indosuchus raptorius in 1933. The classification of this Indian dinosaur species into a Theropod would take several years.

The Indosuchus meaning is 'Indian crocodile' and the dinosaur was named by Matley and von Huene. It is made up of elements 'Indus' and 'Soukhos'. 'Indos' is the Ancient Greek word for 'India' or 'the Indus', and 'Soukhos', also Greek, translates to 'Egyptian crocodile god'. The raptorius specific name translates to 'raptorial' in Latin.

These Indosuchus dinosaurs belong to three clades: Dinosauria, Theropoda, and Saurischia.

How long was the Indosuchus around?

Indosuchus dinosaurs lived during the Maastrichtian age, in the late Cretaceous period, in the time period of 70-66 million years ago. They can be said to have lived for around four million years at least.

What is the difference between an Indosuchus and an Indosaurus?

The Indosaurus weighed 1,543.2 lb (700 kg) and was significantly lighter than the Indosuchus. The Indosaurus had horns on its face above the eyes and the Indosuchus had a flattened skull and no horns. The Indosaurus may have been related to the Carnotaurus, a South American Theropod.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Ludodactylus fun facts for kids and Hesperosaurus facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Indosaurus coloring pages.

Main image and second image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.).