Prehistoric crocodiles survived a dinosaur-dominated world by running around like dogs, new research has found.
Unlike today's crocodiles that mostly live in freshwater habitats and feed on mammals and fish, their ancient relatives were extremely diverse.
Some behaved like dogs and others adapted to life in the open ocean, imitating the feeding behaviour of today's killer whales.
The findings have been revealed in new research that has uncovered the hidden past of crocodiles - showing for the first time how these fierce reptiles evolved and survived in a dinosaur-dominated world.
Research shows for the first time how the jaws of ancient crocodiles evolved to enable these animals to survive in vastly different environments, all whilst living alongside the dinosaurs 235 to 65 million years ago.
The study was conducted by Tom Stubbs and Dr Emily Rayfield from the University of Bristol, together with Dr Stephanie Pierce from The Royal Veterinary College and Dr Phil Anderson from Duke University in the United States.
Mr Stubbs said: "The ancestors of today's crocodiles have a fascinating history that is relatively unknown compared to their dinosaur counterparts.
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