A crocodile's jaw and the bite force it has can crush anything. Along with the great white shark, this animal is one of the few apex predators in nature with such a feature. But, millions of years ago (MYA) this was not the case, and their ancestor was yet to evolve into the great sarcosuchus and later into the crocodilians of today. But everything began with the shartegosuchids, to the long march to the classic "archaic form" that it still has today.
If one was to compare the shartegosuchids to the crocodiles that exist today, there are stark differences. Most notably is a different jaw, before evolving the shape which can take down anything that came across it. In the age of this dinosaur, the sarcosuchus became gigantic and took down dinosaurs. The early evolve pre-crocodilian ancestor had smaller bodies, with longer legs compared to those of today.
Scientists from the University of Witwatersrand, Kathleen Dollman and Jonah Choiniere with experts in the subject will study fossils of shartegosuchids, to learn more about how their jaws changed. Studying the mouth of the creature will give more insight to this extinct crocodilian species.
The first discovery of the shartegosuchid was found in the Gobi desert in Mongolia. The fossil snout of the early crocodilian is dated during the late Jurrasic (160 million years ago MYA). This expedition carries out by the American Museum of Natural History, George Washington University and the Institute for Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology.
A secondary palate is discovered
Fossilized remains of the snout were examined by CT scan and revealed a closed and secondary palate. Few animals have developed this feature, and crocs are one of the few who has it. A feature like this has advantages like the capacity to breathe underwater longer, and a mechanism to add force to its bite when attacking prey.
The secondary palate evolved earlier than determined
Development of the secondary palate was evolved earlier than initial estimates, and it carried onto their descendants. Though not exactly a crocodile but with features of one, shartegosuchids is an example convergence in evolution with two groups of animals that are not completely related. How the aspect of convergence with the secondary palate, is something to learn more about.
Features that are different from the crocodilians of today
They might look similar, but upon further examination of the jaw, several different structures were found to differ on modern-day crocs. In most cases of evolution, the better feature is always settled on by forces of natural selection. Gross structures of the extinct Shartegosuchids, the thicker palate is shaped differently while the rostrum is tall and short. Modern crocs have a smooth palate, including a long, and broad rostrum.
The implication of the palate and its features for biting
Another twist in the evolution of the snout, palate in shartegosuchids and extant crocodiles worked in the same way. But, not exactly how it acquired its next meal. The extinct croc must have harvested differently, its way of hunting must be different from how modern crocs ambush their prey.
Conclusion
From the shartegosuchids to present-day crocodilians, the evolve jaw and its structure became specialized. But, changes in the creatures demonstrated how changes create a whole new creature after millions of years.
Read: Ancient Crocodile Reveals the Humble Beginnings of the Apex Predator
