Today’s birds evolved from dinosaurs. Humans evolved from fish. But crocodiles? They were built from scratch to last.
New research by British scientists at the University of Bristol contributes evidence that the mighty crocodile has remained largely unchanged for 200 million years, because it is the dinosaurs and numerous other plant and animal species that are longer than an asteroid found in the Yucatan Peninsula. was crushed, survived. 66 million years ago.
It is their versatile environment and physical efficiency that have enabled them to survive mass extinction and two ice ages.
“The crocodiles have had a versatile lifestyle to adapt to the enormous environmental changes that have taken place since the dinosaurs were there,” said lead study author Max Stockdale. “This may be one explanation why crocodiles survived the meteoric impact at the end of the Cretaceous, in which the dinosaurs perished.”
Unlike most animals, crocodiles thrive in both rural and aquatic ecosystems, with the ability to hold their breath for up to one hour. This is best done in hot conditions, as the cold-blooded reptile depends on external factors for thermoregulation, and it can survive months or even years without food, draw energy from the sun and lie low while planning their next meal.
Their bodies are tough and tough, built to sustain significant injuries. In fact, it is not uncommon for someone to lose their legs during a battle over territory and then lead a long life of between 70 and 100 years.
Crocodiles have undergone evolutionary changes, but their transformation has taken place as a ‘stop-start’ pattern, in which broad-stroke changes to the species have taken place in spores during more favorable ecological conditions, according to the new research published in Nature Communications Biology.
“It’s fascinating to see how complicated a relationship exists between the Earth and the living things we share it with,” Stockdale said.
The warm climate during the dinosaur era, for example, was the perfect environment for different types of crocodiles to develop: giant crocodiles, vegetarian crocodiles and snake-like crocodiles, to name a few. These specialized versions eventually made way for the more streamlined species of today, which is why they are called the “ultimate survivors”.