Incredible facts
New fossils found in what is now the Sahara Desert have revealed a swampy world divided between five to six species of unusual and possibly intelligent crocodiles. This is what the researchers said.
They've also named some of the new species BoarCroc, RatCroc, DogCroc, DuckCroc, PancakeCroc, but they say their finding will help recreate an understanding of how crocodiles have succeeded and continue to support such successful forms of life.
They lived during the Cretaceous period 145 to 65 million years ago, when continents around the world were closer together and the climate was warmer and wetter than it is today the state of affairs.
“We were surprised to find so many species at the same time, in the same place,” said Montreal paleontologist Hans Larsson, who worked on the study . “Each of the crocodiles behaved differently and adhered to their diet. It seems like they shared the entire ecosystem, with each species benefiting in its own way.”
Larsson and Paul Sereno of the University of Chicago studied the jaws, teeth, and some parts of crocodile bones. They also performed a CT scan to see the inside of the skull. Two of the species found (DogCroc and DuckCroc) were found to have brains that are significantly different from the brains of modern crocodiles.
“Their brains could perform much more complex tasks than the brains of modern crocodiles, since active hunting on land requires more energy than passive hunting, during which the brain is simply waiting for the victim to be as close as possible, “Larsson added.
RatCroc was discovered in Morocco and used its sharp jaws only for eating. The PancakeCroc was 20 feet long and had a large flat head. DuckCroc was found in Nigeria, ate mainly larvae and frogs, and had a very broad head. The most ferocious was BoarCroc; it was also 20 feet long, but moved upright and had three pairs of knife-sharp teeth.
“Their amphibian talent in the past may be key to understanding how they lived, and eventually survived, the age of dinosaurs.”