An elongated, squat quadrupedal body terminated in a long, laterally flattened tail at one end, and a specialized, narrow snout at the other.

As with the other members of its family, the snout of Aktiogavialis was extremely long and narrow, tapering into a thin structure past the eye sockets.

Based on the fragmentary remains recovered, the species was differentiated from other members of its family by unique positioning and geometry of its skull elements.

The holotype, designated UPRMP 3094, was discovered in Puerto Rican deposits dating around 28 million years old, from the Middle to Late Oligocene.

The deposits, part of the San Sebastián Formation along the Río Guatemala in Puerto Rico, have been an adequate supply of other crocodylian fossils.