The ability of crocodiles to survive mass extinctions could be in part due to their more hands-on approach to parenting, say scientists at the University of Bath’s Milner Centre for Evolution.
The ability of crocodiles to survive mass extinctions could be in part due to their more hands-on approach to parenting, say scientists at the University of Bath’s Milner Centre for Evolution.
Crocodiles are one of the oldest surviving lineages on Earth, having survived two extinctions – the mass extinction in the late Cretaceous period that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, and another smaller extinction event in the Eocene period 33.9 million years ago that wiped out huge numbers of marine and other aquatic life.
The reasons for their remarkable resilience to extinctions are poorly understood. Previous studies have suggested that diet, their aquatic nature, and behaviours that help them cope with harsh environmental conditions all factor in their ability to survive.
A new study published in the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society suggests that crocodiles’ unique reproductive biology may also play a part.
Read more at University of Bath
Image: Baby Alligator mississippiensis. (Credit: Rebecca Lakin, University of Bath)
