FOSSILS ET AL.

How Crocodiles Escaped Mass Extinction — Twice

And what their survival story can teach us today

Image created with CANVA by author and adapted from Wikipedia Entry for , an of reptile

I still remember my first time holding a fossil skull in my hands. It was smaller than I expected — no bigger than a loaf of bread — and nothing like the scary reptiles that lurk in today’s rivers and swamps (skulls can be so deceiving!). But there was something about its toothy grin and oddly shaped snout that made me pause.

These weren’t just ancient crocodiles. They were survivors. And as I dug deeper into their story over the years, the word "survivors" kept coming up.

just added an exciting chapter to their tale.

Published in , the research by Dr. Keegan Melstrom and colleagues sheds light on how the ancestors of crocodiles and alligators survived not just one, but two of Earth’s biggest extinction events.

But more importantly, their findings challenge the old stereotype of crocodilians as “living fossils” that avoided evolution. Instead, it turns out, their ancestors were remarkably adaptable, which might be the secret to their success.