Scientists are pretty excited about their find of a Jurassic-era crocodile that measured 13 feet long and sported a mouthful of jagged teeth. "We're calling him the "chico malo' (bad boy)," said scientist Zulma Gasparini of Argentina, one of the team of researchers. In fact, some of Gasparini's lab-coated colleagues went so far as to give the 135-million-year-old sea creature the nickname "Godzilla."
We are happy for the scientists but wonder if they aren't getting a little carried away. Undoubtedly the croc skull is an important discovery, but their monster is a wimp compared with today's alligator, which often exceeds 13 feet and can sprint as fast as 30 mph on land. Many a Florida golfer has had to stare down one of these bad boys when an errant ball landed too close to a water hazard.
Considering a Florida alligator's size, speed and diet - raccoons, snakes, deer and even other alligators - the modern cousins of chico malo probably would have another name for their ancestor: almuerzo (lunch).
