The several species of crocodiles plying rivers and brackish byways in the Americas – from Florida to Peru – all came from Africa, according to a study published Thursday. The long-neglected fossil also supplants another contender from Africa – Crocodylus niloticus, aka the Nile crocodile – as the closest forebear of the American species. “According to our results, C checchiai nests between the Nile crocodile and the American species,” the authors told AFP. More closely related to birds than dinosaurs, egg-laying crocodiles have been around for about 55 million years. There are 16 species spread across the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia and, of course, the Americas.

Source: Libya Today July 23, 2020 20:48 UTC