During the course of several expeditions to the Sahara between 1946-1959, led by French paleontologist Albert-Felix de Lapparent, several fossils of a large crocodiliforme were unearthed in the region known as the Continental intercalaire, some of them found in Ben Foggara Draou, near the village of Aoulef, Algeria (informally known as the crocodile Aoulef) while others came from Gara Kamboute, south of Tunis.

The fossils were found skull fragments, teeth, osteodermos and vertebrae. In 1957, the region now known as the Training Elrhaz north of Niger H. Faure he found several teeth isolated large. The study of this material by French paleontologist France De Broin helped identify them as coming from a new snout crocodiliforme largo.
Later in 1964, the research team of the French CEA discovered a nearly complete skull in the region of Gadoufaoua in northern Niger. Such skull was sent to Paris to study the holotype specimen (catalog number MNN 604) of the then new genus and species sarcosuchus in 1966 became The genus name comes from griegp "Sarco" which means meat and "suchus" that it means cocodrilo