Crocodiles are some of the most fascinating creatures on Earth, as they have managed to survive since the age of dinosaurs. Not only that, the species of crocs basically hadn’t changed since then, while other animals and birds evolved rapidly and today are unrecognizable.

What is the secret of crocs’ evolutionally achievement?

Crocodiles managed to achieve an astounding balance that made them to be well-equipped to environmental changes, a recent study found.

In fact, although global warming is a fact of the modern life, Earth’s temperatures were warmer before dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the planet. There were more varieties of crocs at the time than today. Not all of them managed to survive the impact of the “dust winter” caused by a meteorite explosion, which pushed the dinosaurs to extinction.

Crocodiles thrive in warmer climate as they are unable to control their body temperature like warm-bloodied animals or birds. However, crocs can draw energy from the sun and this means they don’t need as much food.

Apparently, crocs as a species have an extremely balanced body design that shows an unusually slow evolutionary rate. It is very efficient and versatile as the same time, which allowed them to move through the history with little variation.

Another surprising fact is that there are only 25 species of crocs on our planet, while there are thousands of various birds and animals.

So, crocs were just the lucky species that was at the right place with the right body design, which had allowed them to survive giant environmental changes. In our times, the giant ancient reptiles are facing the biggest challenge to their existence from humans, not the planet’s climate.

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