(Press-News.org) Crocodiles which roamed the world's seas millions of years ago developed in similar ways to their modern-day relatives, a study has shown.
Fresh research into a group of prehistoric marine crocs known as Machimosaurus reveals key details of how and where they lived.
Each species adapted features that enabled them to live and hunt in a range of habitats, just like modern-day crocodiles. They varied in body length, body skeleton, skull and lower jaw shape, and in their teeth.
The ancient croc group included a nine-metre long saltwater species, which was adapted for living in open seas, and fed on marine turtles. Its closest relatives, by contrast, lived in coastal, choppy environments.
The prehistoric crocs' development mirrors those of today's crocodiles, whose saltwater varieties are far bigger and suited to larger territories compared with their smaller cousins that live closer to shore or in freshwater.
A team of researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh, examined fossil specimens from museums around Europe. From detailed analysis, they were able to determine key elements of the animals' anatomy and lifestyle, and concluded that not all were of the same species.
Until now, scientists were unsure whether more than one species of Machimosaurus existed. However, their findings show that there were at least three distinct species – one of which has been fully identified for the first time. The study is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Dr Mark Young, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "Interesting parallels can be seen between groups of ancient crocodiles and those living today, with some able to swim out in the open sea, with others restricted to the coast. With more fossils being discovered, we look forward to learning more about this giant group of Jurassic predators."
INFORMATION:
University of Cincinnati geologists will be well represented among geoscientists from around the world at The Geological Society of America's Annual Meeting and Exposition. The meeting takes place Oct. 19-22, in Vancouver, Canada, and will feature geoscientists representing more than 40 different disciplines. The meeting will feature highlights of UC's geological research that is taking place globally, from Chile to Costa Rica, Belize, Bulgaria, Scotland, Trinidad and a new project under development in the Canary Islands.
UC faculty and graduate students are lead or ...
A University of Cincinnati research project is taking a groundbreaking approach to monitoring groundwater resources near fracking sites in Ohio. Claire Botner, a UC graduate student in geology, will outline the project at The Geological Society of America's Annual Meeting & Exposition. The meeting takes place Oct. 19-22, in Vancouver.
Botner's research is part of UC Groundwater Research of Ohio (GRO), a collaborative research project out of UC to examine the effects of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) on groundwater in the Utica Shale region of eastern Ohio. First launched ...
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A UNIVERSITY of Huddersfield researcher has shown that tiny tweaks to the soundtrack can make TV adverts much more memorable, increasing their commercial impact.
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Joined by his PhD supervisor, Dr Ian Gibson, Andy has just presented his ...
VIDEO:
This video shows a chimpanzee who has constructed a tool with which to investigate a camera (Nimba mountains, Guinea).
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COLUMBUS, Ohio—Our view of other solar systems just got a little more familiar, with the discovery of a planet 25,000 light-years away that resembles our own Uranus.
Astronomers have discovered hundreds of planets around the Milky Way, including rocky planets similar to Earth and gas planets similar to Jupiter. But there is a third type of planet in our solar system—part gas, part ice—and this is the first time anyone has spotted a twin for our so-called "ice giant" planets, Uranus and Neptune.
An international research team led by Radek Poleski, postdoctoral ...
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Fruit fly border cells form clusters of six to eight cells, which display directional migration during oogenesis. Migration of border cells in egg chambers can be examined in detail by...
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Cell migration is important for development and physiology of multicellular organisms. During embryonic development individual cells and cell clusters can move over relatively long distances, and cell migration is also essential for wound healing and many ...
