Monday, October 24, 2016

Found: Fossil Crocodile with a Mammal's Smile

Found: Fossil Crocodile with a Mammal's SmileChew on this: A partial skull and jaw of a small crocodile relative that lived 100 million years ago has teeth that are more like a mammal's than a crocodilian's, according to a new study. While crocodiles' toothy grins typically feature only cone-shaped teeth, this ancient crocodile relative from Morocco had more complex teeth, with specialized shapes that had pits surrounded by multiple pointed ends known as cusps. The conical tooth shape in modern crocodiles is perfectly suited for the way the reptiles feed — tearing off large chunks of meat and swallowing them whole.


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