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The Future of Crocodiles
Topic Started: Jan 27 2009, 04:51 PM (3,061 Views)
Titanomonstrus
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Legendary Beast Tyrant
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What is the evolutionary future of Crocodiles? I think it's unlikely that they'd die out. Maybe they'll become more aquatic like mosasaurs and plesoisaurs. The only question with that though is what they will do about egg laying? Mosasaurs and plesiosaurs solved this problem but how?
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ashwinder
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I would argue that of most creatures crocodiles would probably change the least, they have retained a more or less similar form for around 200 million years, they seem to be onto a winning formula! Although marine forms are a possibility.

Oh and hello all this is my first post! :)
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Carlos
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Welcome. And no, crocodiles aren't that conservative; throw the Mesozoic, they produced marine and terrestrial forms, and eusuchians (modern crocodiles) are a fairly recent group that evolved in the late Cretaceous, and they too had a minor radiation of marine and terrestrial forms in the Cenezoic. So no, crocs are no living fossils
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

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ashwinder
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I stand corrected, just goes to show don't believe all you read on wikipedia :) (the shame!)
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Giant Blue Anteater
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ashwinder
Mar 5 2009, 06:14 PM
I stand corrected, just goes to show don't believe all you read on wikipedia :) (the shame!)
I must welcome you here as well! :D

And where does it say that? If you can show me, then we could very easily change it. While Wikipedia may not be 100% reliable, we can still change things to help make it reliable, but it still shouldn't be used as a primary source when writing a research paper (Wikipedia says this itself).

Also, don't forget to post in the Member Introductions forum! :lol:

Now onto the topic of future crocodiles, I think they could evolve marine forms, and possibly, but unlikely evolve into frugivorous forms. I also wonder if a Stomatosuchus parallele could evolve.
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ashwinder
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Oh dear my bad! The Wikipedia page does say crocodilia have been around for 200 million years, and I guess I took that and ran with it. After actually reading said page I came across such wonders as the hoofed Pristichampsus.

Wikipedia, crocodilians, herpetologists... I am most wholeheartedly sorry! (But I mean seriously... hoofed crocs!)
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Carlos
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Well, clade Crocodylia is indeed that old, but Eusuchia dates from the late Cretaceous. I honestly hardly know about Pristichampsus to give you any information sadly
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/Carliro

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Adman
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JohnFaa
Jan 27 2009, 05:16 PM
Well, archosaurs as a whole don't seem to have ever evolved vivipary/ovivipary. Though I'm pretty sure crocodiles will produce several marine forms in the future, just as they did in the Mesozoic (as metriorhynchids and later as dryosaurids), and in the Cenezoic (first dryosaurids, then marine gharials that were common until the Pliocene)
Erhem, dakosaurus? Ever heard of it? It was a predatory marine crocodile that had a head remicent of a predatory dinosaur and seems to have been marine, but wether if it was marine or semi marine is up to debate.
Projects and concepts that I have stewing around
Extended Pleistocene- An alternate future where man died out, and the megafauna would continue to thrive (may or may not include a bit about certain future sapients)
Inverted World- An alternate timeline where an asteroid hit during the Barremian, causing an extinction event before the Maastrichtian. Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and notosuchians make it to the present, along with a host of other animals.
Badania- Alien planet that has life at a devonian stage of development, except it exists in the present day.
Ido- Alien world where hoppers (derived flightless ballonts) and mouthpart-legged beasts are prevalent.
Leto- Life on a moon orbiting a gas giant with an erratic orbit; experiences extremes of hot and cold.
The Park- ???
Deeper Impact- a world where the K-Pg extinction wipes out crocodilians, mammals, and birds; squamates, choristoderes, and turtles inherit the earth.
World of Equal Opportunity- alternate history where denisovans come across Beringia and interact with native fauna. Much of the Pleistocene fauna survives, and the modern humans that end up crossing into North America do not overhunt the existing animals. 10,000 years later, civilizations exist that are on par with European and Asian societies.
The Ditch- Nothing is what if seems..
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