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A TIMELINE OF CROCODILE EVOLUTION

250,000,000 BC – Xilousuchus

Three feet long. 5-10lbs. Lived in the swamps of eastern Asia. Ate small animals. Ridge of fan-like 'sails' on their back. Split off into pre-historic crocodiles and early dinosaurs. 

228,000,000 BC – Phytosaur

Alive during the early Jurassic period. Most related to crocodilians. Herbivores. Looked much like modern day crocodiles – except their nostrils were located on the top of their head rather than the tops of their snout.

200,000,000 BC – Erpetosuchus

Bipedal. Didn't resemble modern crocodiles in behaviour or body shape except the shape of their head. 

110,000,000 BC – Sarcosuchus 

Middle Cretaceous period. 40ft long. 10-15 tons. Ate dinosaurs and fish. Lived in the rivers of Africa. Odd protrusion on it's snout. Looked and behaved like it's modern decedents, but it was twice as long and about 10 times as heavy. 

100,000 BC – Stomatosuchus 

36 ft. long. ten tons. Ate plankton and krill with its high pelican-like jaw. 

80,000,000 BC – Beinosuchus

Greek for terrible crocodile. Lived in the rivers of North America. About 33 ft long and 10 tons. They had a 6ft. long skull. Fed on fish, shell fish, and land creatures. Evidence in fossils suggests that they attacked large North American tyrannosaurs.

70,000,000 BC – Champsosaurus  

Five ft long, 25-50 pounds, ate fish, and lived in the rivers of North America and western Europe. Long narrow profile and a tooth studded snout. Survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event that killed off three-quarters of the plant and animal species on Earth – including the dinosaurs.

65,000,000 BC – Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event

Non-avian dinosaurs were wiped out and more than half the world's species were obliterated. This mass extinction paved the way for the rise of mammals and the appearance of humans. 

55,000,000 BC – Crocodylidae (Modern day crocodile)

The modern day crocodile – including the saltwater, Nile, and American variants – spread throughout the world. Though it looks prehistoric, it is a highly evolved and complex organism that is a successful predator.

23,000,00 BC – Quinkana

Nine feet long, 500 pounds. Consumed red meat in woodlands. Long curved teeth and long legs, unlike modern croc's short legs. These crocodiles continuously get smaller because of environmental changes.

4,200,000 BC – Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni

This is a very close relative of the modern day crocodile. Large skull and small raised rim in front of the eyes. Likely prayed on early humans. Lived in the Turkana basin in Kenya. Could be the largest known true crocodile.

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