Though initially unearthed in Texas back in 2001, scientists have only just recently got around to identifying the strange skull you see pictured above, which they determined to be that of a previously undocumented species of prehistoric swamp monster. Measuring an estimated 18 feet long, the creature roamed the earth more than 200 million years ago, and likely looked very much like a modern day crocodile or alligator.
As reported by Fox News, it's not uncommon that skulls belonging to extinct swamp creatures are found in the Cooper Canyon formation in Garza County, Texas, where this one was discovered over ten years ago. The area was a hunting ground for water-dwelling creatures back in the late Triassic period, all of which were wiped out by the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction event.
A similar skull was also found not far from where this one was, which also belongs to the new species that scientists have dubbed Machaeroprosopus lottorum. What's most interesting about these so-called monsters is that their nostrils are up near their eyes, rather than at the end of their snouts, like they are with crocs and gators. Neverthless, study researcher Bill Mueller says they lived much the same life as modern crocodiles, hanging out in the water and eating whatever animals dared to venture into their territory.