A forgotten fossil just revealed a new Triassic predator from 210 million years ago
Paleontologists have identified a new species of proto-croc, Eosphorosuchus lacrimosa, from 210-million-year-old fossils found in New Mexico. The discovery provides insight into the diversification of early reptile lineages during the Triassic period.
Why it matters
It helps scientists better understand the evolutionary divergence between the ancestors of modern crocodiles and dinosaurs during the 'Age of Reptiles.'
About 210 million years ago, two early relatives of modern crocodiles stood near each other among the low ferns of a humid riverbank in what is now northern New Mexico. Each animal was roughly the size of a jackal, but their bodies suggest they were adapted to hunt in different ways.
One was Hesperosuchus agilis , a fast land predator with a long snout, powerful hind legs, and smaller, more slender front limbs. It likely searched for prey along rivers and streams.
The second animal had a noticeably different head. Its snout was shorter, its skull was more strongly reinforced, and its enlarged jaw muscles would have helped it snap down on larger prey.
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