The Evolution of the Crocodile
The crocodile, known for its dominance in the realm of water, wasn’t always necessarily known for having the upper hand in water as it has of recent. In fact, it actually roamed the terrestrial realm of the world, dating all the way back to the Jurassic period and beyond, somewhere near 250 million years ago. The crocodile, over time, has not had very many drastic changes over time, causing its evolution to have quite subtle changes. The earliest ancestor of the crocodile was known as the Xilousuchus. The two-legged running terrestrial lived around 250,000,000 B.C. to 200,000,000 B.C. It was about three feet long and weighed about five to ten pounds. The Xilousuchus dwelled in the swamps of eastern Asia, where its main prey were small animals. Eventually, the Xilousuchus split off into the early stages of crocodiles and early dinosaurs. Of all the ancestors of the crocodile, the Phytosaur was the most related to crocodilians. Alive throughout 228,000,000 BC through 199,000,000 B.C., they were herbivores; however, they had a similar skull structure and snout. They looked much like
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However, the earlier crocodiles of the Jurassic period had some features that didn’t pertain to today’s crocodile, such as standing on two legs and vegetarian diets. Crocodiles began to evolve into their quintessential form during the Mesozoic era, consisting of the sleek bodies, stubby legs, and marine-based lifestyles. Before the first true crocodiles came into being, the species at the time were dubbed as a phytosaur, also known as "plant lizard.” The phytosaur looked much more like the modern crocodile than the first ancestor did. By the start of the Jurassic period, crocodiles began to ditch their previous lifestyle of living on land and began to adapt to living in the waters. This is where the long bodies, narrow snouts, and powerful jaws began to