Comments on: New Prehistoric Crocodilian

By: Sordes

Sordes — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:08:15 +0000

Crocodiles have a very low metabolism and can survive long periods without food. Furthermore than can become comparably old. Some species are even able to burrow holes to survive droughts of several months. Dinosaurs in contrast had a very high metabolism, and needed a lot of food and very continuously. And most species died at a comparably early age.

By: roomofeasement

roomofeasement — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:00:34 +0000

I really like that painting! That is some mythical stuff right there. Legendary crocs were rulers of the oceans.

By: Craig York

Craig York — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:55:21 +0000

Not exactly, Red. The narrow jaw is a common enough
adaptation in all kinds of fish-eaters, like the Gavail
that Samson77 mentioned above. I believe the shape
makes the snout easier to ‘slash about’ in schools
of smaller fish. I notice the feet are depicted as
webbed in one of the images-if memory serves, there
were extinct crocodillians that had flippers, ala’ the
mosasaurs.

Whats most interesting is how the crocodillians survived at all-they were around and abundant
65 million years ago, just like the dinosaurs.

By: red_pill_junkie

red_pill_junkie — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:31:08 +0000

I don’t know, maybe the long pointy snout helped him catch fish in coral reefs or something.

By: threefingeredlord

threefingeredlord — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:37:26 +0000

@DarthBadger

I don’t think there anything to suggest this species had a different lifestyle to modern saltwater crocodiles, except maybe the jaws look more adept to catching fish. To me that suggest a more aquatic lifestyle, probably a much better swimmer.

This coupled with the fact that Africa and South America were much closer back then would make that idea highly possible.

By: DarthBadger

DarthBadger — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:47:04 +0000

So that would mean that that species of crocodiles, being marine crocs, would have left Africa by swimming to South America ?

By: Samson77

Samson77 — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:23:38 +0000

looks like a gavial

By: Bake Neko

Bake Neko — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:33:31 +0000

Thats fascinating. I had no idea there were species of marine crocodilians. Good stuff.