Somewhere along the evolutionary path, crocodiles transitioned to Tyranesaurus Rex. That means becoming bipedal and then adapting to a non water environment. so yes this is no surprise. They still exist in Australia and i suspect they spend time alongside crocodiles and share their nesting habits.
At least hard evidence is popping up
Bipedalism has many variations out there so it turns out to be quie valuable. In fact, sizing up encourages the transition as looking over cover is inportant for all hunters.
.
Bipedal Crocodiles Suggested for Source of Odd Fossil Footprints
June 11, 2020
Researchers studying strange fossilized footprints theorize that the intriguing tracks were made by ancient creatures that resembled bipedal crocodiles. The puzzling impressions, which number in the hundreds and measure approximately nine inches in length, were reportedly discovered in a coastal area of South Korea and are believed to be around 115 million years old. Scientists had previously suspected that the prints were made by pterosaurs, however the discovery of some rather detailed impressions provided experts with a fuller picture of the creature that created them and, in turn, led to a rather fantastic hypothesis.
"These fossils are spectacular," marveled paleontologist Anthony Romilio, "they even have the fine details of the toe-pads and scales on their soles preserved." Upon closer examination of the tracks, researchers proposed that they were likely left behind by a crocodile-like creature that walked on its hind legs. "Typical crocodiles walk in a squat stance and create trackways that are wide," lead researcher Kyung Soo Kim explained, "oddly, our trackways are very narrow looking – more like a crocodile balancing on a tight-rope. When combined with the lack of any tail-drag marks, it became clear that these creatures were moving bipedally."
As one might imagine, given the unorthodox hypothesis, not everyone is convinced that bipedal crocodiles were the source for the curious tracks. Fossil track expert Phil Manning told the BBC that while he looks forward to examining the data presented by the research team, he is also skeptical of their conclusion. "the tracks just don't fit the overall geometry of a crocodilian and what it's capable of producing," he argued, "it looks more like some kind of dinosaurian track-maker to me." Manning also pointed out a problem with the study that may go unresolved for quite some time as, for now, there are no actual fossils from any bipedal crocodile, meaning the creature largely resides in the speculative realm unless further evidence can be uncovered.
No comments:
Post a Comment