King of the Crocodylians: The paleobiology of Deinosuchus by David Schwimmer, Indiana University Press, $45, ISBN 025334087X Reviewed by Jeff Hecht
CROCODILES are remarkably durable beasts. They have been around since the days of their close cousins, the dinosaurs, and were the largest animals to survive the asteroid impact 65 million years ago. Their basic design hasn’t changed much: the long, low predators that pounce on pet poodles that stray too close to south Florida canals look much like their distant relations that preyed on careless dinosaurs.
David Schwimmer takes a close look at the biggest known member of the…
