Ancient, Prehistoric Crocodile Evolution Mirrored in Living Species

Crocodiles have been around for millions of years. Now, scientists have taken a closer look at the ancient crocodiles that once roamed the world's seas and have found that they developed in similar ways to their modern-day relatives.

In order to learn a bit more about these ancient creatures, the scientists examined a group of prehistoric marine crocodiles known as Machimosaurus. More specifically, the researchers examined fossil specimens. After analyzing these fossils, the scientists determined key elements of the crocodiles' anatomy and lifestyle, and found that they were not all of the same species.

The ancient group included nine-meter-long saltwater species, which were adapted for living in open seas and fed on marine turtles. This species' closest relatives, in contrast, lived in coastal, choppy environments.

What's interesting, though, is that the development of these prehistoric crocodiles mirrored that of today's crocodiles, whose saltwater varieties are far larger and suited to larger territories compared with their smaller cousins.

 "Interesting parallels can be seen between groups of ancient crocodiles and those living today, with some able to swim out in the open sea, with others restricted to the coast," said Mark Young, who led the study, in a news release. "With more fossils being discovered, we look forward to learning more about this giant group of Jurassic predators."

The findings reveal a bit more about these ancient creatures, and show how the adaptations seen in the past are also applicable today. It seems that each species adapted features that enabled them to live and hunt in a range of habitats, just like modern-day crocodiles. This not only shows researchers a bit more about the ancient past, but also tells them a bit more about the modern crocodiles of today.

The findings are published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.