Overview

• Crocodilian ancestors survived the end-Triassic and end-Cretaceous mass extinctions, aided by their ability to adapt to varied diets and habitats.
• Recent findings emphasize that modern crocodilians' semiaquatic generalist niche is a result of evolutionary narrowing after these extinctions.
• The study analyzed 99 extinct and 20 living species over 230 million years, reconstructing their dietary ecologies through fossil skull and tooth analysis.
• While dietary flexibility historically supported survival, researchers warn against directly applying these patterns to modern conservation efforts.
• Habitat loss and human impacts pose significant challenges to endangered crocodilians like the Gharial and Cuban Crocodile, despite their evolutionary resilience.