Why Crocodiles Are Known As Living Fossils We all have seen crocodiles. If not before the eyes, you have probably seen them on television. They are amphibians, meaning they can live in water and on land, with scales all over their bodies. Their legs are shorts, and cone-shaped teeth are sharp. The ability to hide in swamps and spryness during a hunt makes them excellent ambush predators. But have they always been like this? The short answer is no. At least not like the way we see them now. All modern members of crocodylians, including crocodiles, alligators, gharials, and caimans, fit the matching description. But if you ask a paleontologist, they might describe them a little differently. Fossils of crocodile teeth, bones, and eggs reveal the crocodilian family tree has evolved a lot over the years. Many enthusiasts may be surprised to learn that crocodiles have been around 225 million years on the planet. From the specimens of crocodile tooth and bone fossils, paleontologists suggest both crocodiles and dinosaurs might have been descended from the same ancestral family. Unlike today’s swamp-dwellers, Sphenosuchians, early crocodiles, had long, thin legs, round teeth, flexible body suggesting they were plant-eaters or preyed on small creatures. In the early Cretaceous Period, the evolution of the Eusuchian gives rise to all modern crocodiles. Over the years, the family of crocodilian family evolved dramatically. Fossils of Metriorynchus suggest these crocodiles spend most of their time in the open ocean and therefore developed scaly skin and a fin on their tail to hunt large fish. Those who remained on the ground, Revueltosaurus and Simosuchus, developed stout bodies, round heads, and leaf-shaped teeth, became plant-eaters. Because of their inability to move quickly, they became ambush predators. The remains of Champsosaurs, crocodile-like reptiles, provide evidence of how Eusuchians practice their hunting techniques at water’s edge.
The evidence of crocodiles is found in a variety of environments, including lakes, rivers, oceans, and even deserts. Since crocodiles have lived on the planet for many years, they might have evolved themselves depending on the environment they live in. Throughout the time, they have adapted to new diets; while some remain carnivorous, others ate plants and survived eating small insects. The tooth complexity of species from the Jurrasic period reveals some crocodiles believed to be strict herbivores were either omnivores or insectivores. Now you know why crocodiles are believed to be living fossils. If you are interested in collecting fossils and teeth, we suggest getting in touch with an authentic dealer from where you will come across shark tooth and dinosaur fossils, including crocodile tooth fossils available for sale. The golden rule of thumb is to read the description from where the tooth and fossil have been collected to know the specimen you are buying is genuine. Author’s Bio – The author is an online blogger. This article is about why crocodiles are living fossils Source - https://theomnibuzz.com/why-crocodiles-are-known-as-living-fossils/?snax_post_submission=success