Today’s birds evolved from dinosaurs. Humans evolved from fish. But crocodiles? They are built from the ground up to last.
New research by British scientists at the University of Bristol adds to evidence that the mighty crocodile survived largely unaltered for 200 million years, surviving the dinosaurs and countless other plant and animal species that were wiped out by an asteroid that spawned it. invaded the Yucatán Peninsula. 66 million years ago.
It is their ecological versatility and physical efficiency that have allowed them to survive mass extinction and two ice ages.
“The crocodiles landed on a lifestyle versatile enough to adapt to the tremendous environmental changes that have taken place since the dinosaurs arrived,” said lead study author Max Stockdale. “This could explain why crocodiles survived the late Cretaceous meteor impact that killed dinosaurs.”
Unlike most animals, crocodiles thrive in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, with the ability to hold their breath for up to an hour. They do best in warm conditions, as the cold-blooded reptile relies on external factors for thermoregulation, and can survive months or even years without food, getting energy from the sun, and lying low while planning their next meal.
Their bodies are robust and strong, built to sustain significant injury. In fact, it’s not uncommon for someone to lose their legs in a battle for territory and then live a long life of between 70 and 100 years.
Crocodiles have undergone evolutionary changes, but their transformation occurred as a “stop-start” pattern, broadly spurting changes of the species during more favorable ecological conditions, according to the new research published in Nature Communications Biology.
“It’s fascinating to see how complex the relationship exists between Earth and the living things we share it with,” said Stockdale.
For example, the warm climate during the dinosaur era was the perfect setting for a variety of crocodile species to evolve: giant crocodiles, vegetarian crocodiles, and snake-like sea crocodiles, just to name a few. These specialized versions eventually gave way to today’s more streamlined types, which is why they are called the “ultimate survivors.”