Once upon a time there was the crocodile with the helmet ... it is not the beginning of a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm but what some American scholars have discovered in Morocco: the remains of a strange crocodile, which lived in the late Cetacean, or about 95 million years ago, who had some sort of helmet on his head.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Once upon a time there was crocodile with helmet... it is not the beginning of a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm but what some American scholars discovered in Morocco: the remains of a strange crocodile, lived in the late Cetacean, or about 95 millions of years ago, who had a kind of helmet on his head.
The animal had its skull covered by a particular circular bandage, made of leather, which most likely served to intimidate enemies, attract potential partners and keep the temperature of the head constant.
The study of the animal's fossil skull, conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri, was published in the journal Plos One, where scientists highlighted the importance of the discovery: the crocodile found it is the oldest ancestor of all modern crocodiles, belongs to the species of Aegisuchus witmeri and was nicknamed "Shield-croc”Precisely for this particular circular shield on the skull.
But the leather helmet is not the only peculiarity of the crocodile, because from a comparison of its remains with those belonging to other species, scholars have found that Shieldcroc had a much flatter skull and thinner jaws than the others.
According to scholars, it is unlikely that the crocodile could have endured a hand-to-hand fight with a dinosaur; it is likely instead that he was rather clumsy in his movements and that he spent quiet days by the river. Also because he did not have particularly large teeth, nor too pointed.
"We believe Shieldcroc used its long snout as a fish trap," said researcher Nick Gardner. strong jaws ".
But that's not all: "Today's crocodiles live in deltas and estuaries, environments already stressed by human activities - added researcher Casey Holliday - Understanding how the ancestors of these animals became extinct will help us understand how protect the ecosystems vital for their survival ".
In short, the new discoveries about this strange crocodile will help scholars to understand a little more on modern specimens, increasingly threatened by man and his activities.
Verdiana Amorosi
Photo: National Geographic
