Cretaceous-era crocodile and alligators are nearly identical to their modern descendants, which date back between 145 and 66 million years. To put it another way, modern animals coexisted with extinct species like this.
What dinosaur did alligators evolve from?
Archosaurs split about 250 million years ago into two groups: a bird-like group that evolved into dinosaurs, birds, and pterosaurs, and a crocodile-like group that includes the alligators and crocodiles that are still alive today and a variety of now extinct relatives.
What is the closest living animal to a dinosaur?
According to the fossil record, all extinct dinosaurs are closely related to birds. The crocodilians are the closest living relatives of ALL dinosaurs (crocodiles, alligators, gharials).
Were there alligators and crocodiles around dinosaurs?
Crocodiles are closely related to dinosaurs among reptiles. The meteor impact that ended the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago wiped out their dinosaur relatives, but they’re incredibly complex biological organisms.
How did alligators survive but dinosaurs didn t?
In the wake of the dinosaurs’ demise, new research suggests that it was the crocodile’s “versatile” and “efficient” body shape that helped them survive the environmental changes triggered by the impact of the asteroid.
Are alligators bulletproof?
There’s no way. Bullets can easily penetrate the skin of an alligator because it isn’t designed to withstand such force.
Did crocodiles evolve dinosaurs?
Crocodiles aren’t dinosaurs, but they’re related to the crown Archosaurs, which includes both crocodiles and dinosaurs. A group of extinct reptiles known as archosaurs included pterosaurs and dinosaurs, as well as birds and crocodiles. Over the course of 65 million years, birds evolved from feathered dinosaurs.
