A new finding in South Korea reveals that the ancestors to the modern crocodile walked on two legs. The 106-million-year-old fossilized foot impressions of the crocodylomorph suggest that the ancient reptile was 2 to 3 meters long, as the researchers published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Professor Kyung Soo Kim and his team from the Chinju National University of Education found the footprints and skin traces at the Sacheon Jahye-ri site of theJinju Formation. The team was able to conclude that the creatures must have been bi-pedal, as there were no hand impressions or front feet impressions present at the site.

The footprints were initially thought to be made by a giant bipedal pterosaur walking on the mudflat, we now understand that these were bipedal crocodile prints, said University of Queenslands Dr. Anthony Romilio. The footprints measure around 21 cm, suggesting the track-makers had legs about the same height as human adult legs. These were long animals that we estimate were over 3 m in length. Source: Sci News.

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The newly found tracks were named Batrachopus grandis, in comparison to the smaller Batrachopus type tracks.

Previous discoveries have also hinted that ancient crocodiles could have been bi-pedal. One example was the skeletal reconstructions ofCarnufex carolinensis, an ancient croc that walked 231 million years ago, according to Science News. However, these footprints are concrete proof that ancient crocodiles used to walk on two limbs.

These types of findings are crucial in learning about past life on our planet, even helping us better interpret other dinosaur fossils.

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Ancient crocodiles used to walk on two feet, new footprints reveal - News Landed