Crocodiles living millions of years ago were 27-feet long
While the animal resembles the current Nile crocodile, it displays a different skull and jaw, suggesting it isn't directly related, said a report on the discovery published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. The crocodile lived side-by-side with humans, who at the time were about 4-feet tall, the report's author said in a statement.
"It lived alongside our ancestors, and it probably ate them," said Christopher Brochu , an associate professor of geoscience at the University of Iowa and a study author. "We don't actually have fossil human remains with croc bites, but the crocs were bigger than today's crocodiles, and we were smaller, so there probably wasn't much biting involved."
Today's crocodiles can grow to about 16 feet, according to National Geographic . The largest recorded Nile crocodile was 21 feet, Brochu said in a statement . The differences in appearance and size between the two suggest today's crocodile developed later as an independent species than many think.
Today's finding indicates that our modern reptile isn't a "living fossil," as some scientists have suggested, Kazinform cites Bloomberg.com
"We really don't know where the Nile crocodile came from, but it only appears after some of these prehistoric giants died out," Brochu said.
