Some extinct crocs were vegetarians

Comparisons of the teeth of extinct crocodyliforms to modern day animals allow new insights into diet

Date: June 27, 2019

Source: University of Utah

Based on careful study of fossilized teeth, scientists Keegan Melstom and Randall Irmis at the Natural History Museum of Utah at the University of Utah have found that multiple ancient groups of crocodyliforms -- the group including living and extinct relatives of crocodiles and alligators -- were not the carnivores we know today, as reported in the journal Current Biology on June 27. In fact, the evidence suggests that a veggie diet arose in the distant cousins of modern crocodylians at least three times.

"The most interesting thing we discovered was how frequently it seems extinct crocodyliforms ate plants," said Keegan Melstrom, a doctoral student at the University of Utah. "Our study indicates that complexly-shaped teeth, which we infer to indicate herbivory, appear in the extinct relatives of crocodiles at least three times and maybe as many as six."

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Crocs Dined on Young Dinos, Scientists Say

Charles Choi, LiveScience Contributor

Date: 27 February 2013 Time: 05:00 PM ET

Crocodile-like beasts may have nibbled on young dinosaurs some 75 million years ago, according to scientists who analyzed bite marks on dinosaur bones.

The findings suggest the rivalry between the reptiles started early in life, the researchers say.

Bites from living crocodylians such as alligators and crocodiles are often seen on the bones of their prey and scavenged bodies. Scientists can use these to identify bite marks on fossils from crocodyliforms, the reptiles to which modern crocodylians belong.

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/27514-crocodiles-ate-young-dinosaurs.html