A new study showed that ancient crocodiles were very diverse creatures. It seemed that in the case of the present croc's predecessors, adapting to the environment was key to survival.

In a world dominated by gigantic, cold-blooded dinosaurs, how did ancient crocodiles survive? The answer, it seemed, could be found in their anatomy, specifically their jaws.

A team of researchers from the University of Bristol, The Royal Veterinary College and Duke University conducted a study to examine the various shapes of lower jaws of over 100 ancient crocodiles. The shape of the crocodilian lower jaw gave insights into its function, and ultimately gave a glimpse as to how the ancient crocodile species was able to live among the dinosaurs.

Dr. Stephanie Pierce of The Royal Veterinary College stated that ancient crocodiles had their varied lower jaws to thank for being able to recover from the end-Triassic extinction. "Our results show that the ability to exploit a variety of different food resources and habitats ... was crucial to recovering from the end-Triassic extinction and most likely contributed to the success of Mesozoic crocodiles living in the shadow of the dinosaurs," she stated.

Aside from having different jaw shapes, ancient crocodiles also developed other anatomical adaptations specific to the environment in which they lived. Some of them ran like dogs. Others fed like today's whales. Still others developed armadillo-like body armor.

Tom Stubbs from the University of Bristol, stated that ancient crocodiles had a "fascinating history." He added, "They were very different creatures to the ones we are familiar with today, much more diverse and, as this research shows, their ability to adapt was quite remarkable. Their evolution and anatomical variation during the Mesozoic Era was exceptional. They evolved lifestyles and feeding ecologies unlike anything seen today."

Dr. Emily Rayfield from the University of Bristol and Dr. Phil Anderson from Duke University conducted the study on ancient crocodiles together with Dr. Pierce and Mr. Stubbs. The study, titled "Morphological and biomechanical disparity of crocodile-line archosaurs following the end-Triassic extinction," is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.