Ferocious prehistoric crocodile named in honour of Motorhead frontman Lemmy

He was a ferocious creature who you certainly would not want to cross.

So perhaps it's no surprise that scientists chose heavy metal icon Lemmy as the namesake for a prehistoric crocodile described as "one of the nastiest sea creatures to have ever inhabited the Earth".

The newly identified 19-foot (5.8) Lemmysuchus crocodile prowled the coastal waters of England in the Jurassic period, more than 1.5 million years ago.

It had a metre-long head and large, blunt teeth, which were perfect for crushing bones and turtle shells as it made quick work of its prey.

The fossilized remains of one of the monsters was dug up in the early twentieth century, but were initially misclassified as another type of sea crocodile.

After re-examining the remains, University of Edinburgh palaeontologist Michela Johnson realised it was a new species which had never been previously identified.

Natural History Museum curator and Motorhead fan Lorna Steel suggested that the late Motorhead founder should lend his name to the crocodile.

Lemmysuchus belonged to an extinct group of reptiles called teleosaurs, which were distantly related to today's crocodiles.

It would have been one of the largest coastal predators of its time.