Study: Plant-Eating Relatives of Crocodiles Existed in Prehistoric Times

A new study suggests that some extinct relatives of crocodiles called crocodyliforms fed mainly on plants. The research, published in Current Biology, claims that some species of plant-eating crocodyliforms evolved during the Mesozoic Era, which is also known as the age of dinosaurs. Scientists had previously suggested that some crocodyliforms depended on plants for survival. However, authors Keegan Melstrom and Randall Irmis of the Natural History Museum of Utah were the first ones to propose that there were more than one crocodyliform species that ate plants. A previous study by Melstrom found that tooth complexity is linked to a plant-based diet among animals. Because of this, the scientists examined 146 tooth fossils from 16 crocodyliform species to determine the reptiles’ diet. Using a method that measures the complexity of an object’s features, the team was able to analyze the crocodyliform teeth and compare them with the teeth of some living animals. Findings showed that the teeth of eight crocodyliform species are more complex than those of meat-eating reptiles that still currently exist. This means that unlike their modern counterparts, these species were plant eaters. Because of the research’s promising findings, other experts in the field gave positive feedback to the study. Hungarian scientist Attila Ősi [OO-shee] praised the research for being the first to provide solid proof to the existence of plant-eating crocodyliforms. Patrick O’Connor, an expert on plant and animal fossils, commended the study’s method, saying that it can be used and further developed for future investigations on the topic. Currently, the study’s authors are pursuing the topic further. Now, Melstrom and Irmis would like to find out why crocodyliforms evolved to have different diets.