Discover a prehistoric crocodile 3m long walk on two feet

Large, well-preserved footprints in a fossilized area of ​​Korea may belong to the ancestors of two modern crocodiles.

The Jinju Formation at the beginning of the Cretaceous period in Korea is a rock-rich rock stratum , about 800 square meters wide with 5 meters of stratigraphic section. Many sets of footprints are available at all levels of rock formations, previously they were thought to have been created by giant pterosaurs on two feet.

This species thrived about 100 to 145 million years ago. The research results are published in Scientific Reports,

However, paleontologists at the Chinju National University of Education (Korea) and the University of Queensland, Brisbane (Australia) said that it is likely that the ancestors walked on two feet of the crocodiles. now leave.

The authors write that: It is astonishing that the consistent absence of forefoot traces on the footprints they leave, with well preserved skin surface traces, proves that the creators that trace is a bipedal animal. There is no clear evidence that the hind legs press on to the forefoot, or poorly preserved traces, suggesting that the four-legged animals created a trail of only two feet.

Footprint line in the Sacheon Jahye-ri area.

When discovered, these footprints were named Batrachopus grandis , and measured from 18 to 24cm in length - twice the width, showing their body length of up to 3m. "Narrow footprints are created entirely by the hind limb with sharp markings from heel to toe and skin marks in some areas , " the team from South Korea and the United States said.

Batrachopus grandis footprint is well preserved.

The researchers recorded these footprints in normal and holograms, tracked contour traces and measured their parameters.

Photos and holograms.

A thorough analysis concluded that these traces belong to a new species of crocodile - the first group of reptiles is the ancestor of modern crocodiles, eating fish and adapting to the land more than other species at the time. that point. The footprints of the Batrachopus grandis were the first to signify walking on two feet - an unprecedented evolution of this family.

The discovery may mean that traces found in younger geological areas may belong to ancient crocodiles - traces previously thought to have been caused by giant pterosaurs. again when walking on two feet to protect the wings when on the ground.

The discovery of Batrachopus grandis was made shortly after the discovery and description of Korean crocodiles, and significantly increased understanding of morphology, size range, abundance and photo preservation factors. Enjoy the traces of Korean crocodile. In addition, this finding calls for re-examination of other specimens of the same period of similar morphology.

Batrachopus grandis compared to humans.

B. grandis lived more than 100 million years ago at the beginning of the Cretaceous, predominantly dominating the land instead of the water surface as their descendants today. Most likely this species has two legs but can also crawl on all fours.

Before concluding, the researchers ruled out the hypothesis that B. grandis' front legs do not step on the ground as deeply as the hind legs or that they leave footprints when swimming. According to paleontologist Martin Lockley, a professor at the University of Colorado, a member of the team, modern crocodiles sometimes use their hind feet to charge forward but the footprints are uneven and often pointed out. both sides. The absence of anterior foot print and parallel narrow footprints indicate that this is a new species with two hind legs.