Other animals that shared this ecosystem include several species of prehistoric fishes such as Lepidotes, Mawsonia, Hybodus, Ceratodus, the side-necked turtles Araripemys and Teneremys, the crocodylomorphs Anatosuchus, Araripesuchus, Stolokrosuchus and Sarcosuchus, and a currently unknown species of Ornithocheirid pterosaur.
Suchomimus shared this environment with several other species of dinosaur including the sauropod Nigersaurus, the ornithopods Elrhazosaurus, Ouranosaurus, and Lurdusaurus, as well as several other theropod species such as Afromimus, Suchomimus, Eocarcharia, and Kryptops. Ferns, horsetails, and flowering plants grew in a tropical climate that likely experienced seasonal droughts. It possessed extensive freshwater floodplains and fast-moving rivers. When the animal was alive during the late Aptian-early Albian era of the Early Cretaceous, the Sahara desert was nothing like how it is today. Suchomimus possessed one hundred and twenty-two conical-shaped teeth in its jaws, as well as a noticeable dip in the maxilla (upper jaw), which many believe aided the animal in capturing fish and other aquatic prey. Another thing to note is that some paleontologists believe that based on the size of the bones, the holotype specimen discovered by Sereno may not have been fully grown when it died. While not as tall as those of the closely related Spinosaurus, they do run down the length of the animal more so than its relative.
Another noticeable feature of Suchomimus is the tall neural spines along its vertebrae. However, not everyone in the paleontological community is in agreeance with this train of thought. In fact, Suchomimus means "crocodile mimic." Suchomimus is notable for closely resembling its European relative, Baryonyx, so much so that some paleontologists have entertained the idea that it may have possibly been a larger version of the European animal. Hailing from The Elrhaz Formation, located in present-day Niger, this area is a part of the Sahara Desert known as the Ténéré, a name derived from the Berber language and literally translates to "desert wilderness." A member of the Spinosauriade family of theropod dinosaurs, these animals are notable for possessing skulls similar in structure to modern crocodilians. Paleontological Information: Suchomimus was first discovered by paleontologist Paul Sereno in 1997 in Northern Africa, later named by its discoverer the following year in 1998.