Rat Croc, Duck Croc and Pancake Croc. These are not the names of children’s cartoon characters, but giant crocodiles from 100 million years, ago, whose fossilised remains palaeontologists have unearthed in the Sahara.The crocodiles once ran and swam in present-day Niger and Morocco, when the region was covered by lush plains and broad rivers, as agile on land as they were in water.The palaeontologists say that the diverse array of fossils that they found offers important clues to why the ancestors of modern crocodiles survived while dinosaurs underwent mass extinction.The expedition, which began in 2000, found specimens of four new species, nicknamed Boar Croc, Pancake Croc, Duck Croc and Rat Croc. Many of the fossils were found lying on the surface of a remote, windswept stretch of rock and dunes.The discoveries, which are described today in the journal Zookeys, show that early crocodiles were much more varied in physique and behaviour than their modern ancestors.They were given nicknames by the scientists, based on their unusual physical features.
Boar Croc (Kaprosuchus saharicus) was a ferocious 20ft-long (6m) meat eater with an armoured snout for ramming and three sets of dagger-shaped fangs for slicing.Rat Croc (Araripesuchus rattoides) was 3ft long and used its bucktoothed lower jaw to dig for roots and grubs.Pancake Croc (Laganosuchus thaumastos) was a 20ft-long squat fish eater, with a 3ft-long flat head. It would have rested, motionless, for hours, waiting for prey to swim into its open jaws.
Duck Croc (Anatosuchus minor) was a 3ft upright species that ate fish, frogs and grubs. It had a broad, overhanging snout. Sensory areas on the snout helped it to root around shallow waters for prey.The team, led by Paul Sereno, of the University of Chicago, and Hans Larsson, of McGill University, Montreal, also found the most complete example of a previously discovered species, nicknamed Dog Croc. Dog Croc (Araripesuchus wegeneri) was a 3ft-long upright plant and grub eater with a soft, doglike forward-pointing nose.Yesterday Professor Sereno described Duck Croc as the “Pinocchio of crocs”, adding that its nose was more than just a physical flourish. Evidence of soft tissue in Duck Croc’s nose suggests that it had a highly advanced sense of smell.
Dr Larsson said: “We were surprised to discover so many species from the same time in the same place.”The fossils all date from about 100 million years ago, a time when dinosaurs still dominated the Earth.With the exception of the Pancake Croc, scientists believe all of the ancient species walked upright, like a land mammal, rather than with their limbs sprawled out to the sides and their bellies touching the ground.The animals would have been able to gallop on land, although scientists have not yet established how fast they were. Professor Sereno said: “We don’t think these animals were racehorses but they were pretty fast.“A human would have had a harder time outrunning them than they would a modern crocodile.”
Their skeletal remains suggest that the early crocodiles were already well-adapted swimmers, with agile tails and paddling claws.This early versatility may explain how crocodiles came to be the largest air-breathing survivors of the mass extinction event of about 65 million years ago that wiped out terrestrial dinosaurs. “Their amphibious talents in the past may be the key to understanding how they flourished in, and ultimately survived, the dinosaur era,” said Professor Sereno.Being semi-aquatic may have made it easier for them to scavenge from the carcasses of dead marine life. Modern crocodiles can live as scavengers and can survive for months without food.
http://www.youtube.com/v/mlc3ta_7S_M&rel=0&fs=1
WINTER SPRINGS The Miracle of life really overshadow Nadia Bloom. After missing four days, he was eventually found alive in a swamp in Winter Springs, Florida, United States, Wednesday (14 / 4) then.Autistic woman was found in the mud bog that became very vicious crocodile habitat. Nadia the besieged dozens of vicious crocodile is reportedly for five days did not suffer serious injuries although severely dehydrated and mosquito bites.
Santosamaru 