titanoboa vs crocodile

These characters, combined with weakly ankylosed teeth in Titanoboa, are characteristic of piscivorous feeding ecology in extant caenophidian snakes. Yet environmental factors such as climate may have finally done them in, Brochu said. A newly discovered ancient crocodile lived alongside the largest snake ever to slither across the earth, according to researchers. To understand the relationship between these extinct neighbors, Hastings and his colleagues observed two similar reptiles that live side by side—and, often, at each other’s throats—in today’s Amazon. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. Titanoboa, the world’s largest snake, is pictured in the background. There was a problem. This illustration shows how Acherontisuchus guajiraensis, a 60-million-year-old ancestor of crocodiles, would have looked in its natural setting. The titanoboa is larger and longer. If the snake has that much of a size difference, then it usually wins. “It’s one of the few families that transcends the event that killed off all the dinosaurs,” Hastings said. And burmese pythons take alligators of their size. This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our. (See "New Prehistoric Crocodile Found in 'Kitchen Counters.'"). “Young individuals of this new crocodile were definitely not safe from Titanoboa,” Hastings said. University of Florida researcher Alex Hastings displays a pelvic bone of A. guajiraensis. It’s possible, for instance, that the cataclysm—thought to have been a giant meteor strike—sapped the ancient crocodiles’ marine food supply. NY 10036. ", The new prehistoric croc species pursues prey while a, Giant Prehistoric Croc Found Near World's Biggest Snake, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/9/110916-prehistoric-crocodile-new-species-largest-snake-titanoboa-science.html, Read about another prehistoric crocodile that may have been eaten by, "New Prehistoric Crocodile Found in 'Kitchen Counters. Shows. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. Two other crocodiles also appeared and attacked the python and tore it into pieces. A newly discovered ancient crocodile lived alongside the largest snake ever to slither across the earth, according to researchers. It also lacked the unique muscle and bone structure marine crocodiles use to stay afloat in turbulent waves. The saltwater crocodile has a longer muzzle than the mugger crocodile: its length is twice its breadth at the base. Dyrosaurids are also one of the few groups of big animals that survived the mass extinction that largely killed off the dinosaurs about 65.5 million years ago. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. Which was the apex predator of the time. Left, Spinosaurus (Flickr); Right, Sarcosuchus (Flickr). Chances are about 50–50. "The young crocodile needs to keep an eye out for this big snake, because the snake could just as easily go for the young croc instead of the fish," Hastings told LiveScience. 4,056 300. Its discovery challenges the prevailing theory that, like today’s saltwater crocodiles, dyrosaurids spent their youth basking in freshwater rivers, where they couldn’t fall prey to their hungry elders, but primarily dwelled in the ocean. The animals would have lived in freshwaters in the ancient rainforest ecosystem, an adaptation that seems to have come with the changing climate after the extinction of the dinosaurs. [Alligator Alley: Pictures of Monster Reptiles], "In order to survive these hard times, the best survival tool is having the ability to adapt, being able to inhabit lots of different habitats in order to change areas and take advantage of resources that others can't," said lead researcher Alex Hastings, a graduate student at the Florida Museum of Natural History and the University of Florida department of geological sciences.

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