Scientists Just Discovered This Ancient, Terrifying Crocodile

Nothing to see here — just a ginormous, walking crocodile that once ruled North America. Last week, researchers described the 9-foot-long creature, which was found in North Carolina, in a Scientific Reports paper.

The name is Carnufex carolinensis — aka the Carolina Butcher! — and it dates back some 231 million years from the prehistoric Triassic period. Apparently, scientists discovered the fossils a decade ago at a geological formation in North Carolina but kept them hidden in storage at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences until a curator recently came upon them.

Turns out, the Carolina Butcher was a top predator with a long snout and blade-like teeth until dinosaurs took over, and it's believed to have hunted reptiles and mammals.

"For all practical purposes, this was an animal skillfully adapted for slicing flesh from the bones of its victims," said lead author Lindsay Zanno to Discovery News.

Good luck sleeping tonight.