This Armored Ancestor Of Modern Crocodiles Roamed Earth Over 200 Million Years Ago
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Researchers from the University of Texas (UT) Austin recently announced the discovery of a new aetosaur species. These prehistoric relatives of modern crocodiles, which ruled the world before dinosaurs, came in many shapes and sizes. The heavily armored creatures went extinct around 200 million years ago. However, their fossils can still be found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
Paleontologist Bill Mueller unearthed the newfound species in Garza County, Texas, in 1989. The fossil was added to the collection at Texas Tech University, where it remained for nearly three decades. The fossil received renewed attention when William Reyes, a doctoral student at UT Austin, discovered it during a visit.
Reyes was drawn to the unusually large and well-preserved dorsal carapace, or back armor. Scientists rely on the bony plates that make up aetosaur armor to identify different species. But there are usually limited fossil skeletons to study. However, this specimen was almost 70 percent intact, covering each major region of the body.
"We have elements from the back of the neck and shoulder region all the way to the tip of the tail," said Reyes. "Usually, you find very limited material."
Reyes and his colleagues named the ancient reptile Garzapelta muelleri. The genus name combines "Garza" from Garza County, where it was found, with "pelta," meaning "shield" in Latin. The species name honors Mueller, who passed away in 2019.
The researchers revealed their findings on March 14, 2024. They believe that the stocky-limbed G. muelleri was a medium-sized aetosaur. It had several unusual features, including a unique arrangement of bony plates that formed bumps and ridges on its skeleton. The reptile's sides were covered with curved spikes, offering another layer of protection from predators. The spikes were similar, but not identical, to those found on another aetosaur species. This led the UT Austin team to conclude that G. muelleri was an entirely new species of aetosaur.
Resources: Livescience.com, scinews.com, utexas.edu
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32 Comments
maria1232346 monthsWHOA!!!! thats so coolllll but I think they would still eat us:(
miloseeznewz6 monthsTHAT was where a crocodile came from!?
hinavonetugu6 monthsSo cool!🦄
isaiah5106 monthsthat means crocodiles lived over millions of years like sharks- basysulapani6 monthsHow interesting!
- mward186 monthsSo awesome
victoria_wise6 monthsWow! This is so surprising!
10cstrong6 monthsso cool :0
marinelover6 monthsOH WOW!
tedykelunejo6 monthsWow, that amazing!
