Some crocs of the past were plant eaters

[Judi Lynn]

June 27, 2019

Based on careful study of tooth remains, researchers have found that 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," says Keegan Melstrom (@gulosuchus) of the University of Utah. "Complex teeth, which we infer to indicate herbivory, appear in the extinct relatives of crocodiles at least three times and maybe as many as six in our dataset alone."

All living crocodylians possess a similar general morphology and ecology to match their lifestyle as semiaquatic generalist carnivores, which includes relatively simple, conical teeth. It was clear from the start that extinct species showed a different pattern, including species with many specializations not seen today. One such specialization is a feature known as heterodonty, regionalized differences in tooth size or shape.

"Carnivores possess simple teeth whereas herbivores have much more complex teeth," Melstrom says. "Omnivores, organisms that eat both plant and animal material, fall somewhere in between. Part of my earlier research showed that this pattern holds in living reptiles that have teeth, such as crocodylians and lizards. So these results told us that the basic pattern between diet and teeth is found in both mammals and reptiles, despite very different tooth shapes, and is applicable to extinct reptiles."

More:
https://www.brightsurf.com/news/article/062719486615/some-crocs-of-the-past-were-plant-eaters.html

[keithbvadu2]

1. Think veggieburger as part of evolution.