In fact, the reason for this goes back centuries. In addition crocodilesAlthough they now live in shallow waters, they once swam in the oceans.

So what happened next? Have they failed to adapt to the marine environment?

Oceanic crocodiles were the ancestors of a group of reptiles known as ‘tallatosuchians’.

Crocodiles, which currently live in swamps, lakes and rivers, once swam in the oceans. Middle Jurassic and early in Cretaceous periods These creatures that swam in the waters of the oceans had evolved evolutionarily adapted to the marine environment over time.

Tallatosuchiansthey had developed extremely impressive body shapes in ocean water. Members of the family Metriorhynchidae in particular attracted attention with their streamlined bodies and fin structures that resembled dolphins. But the depth of the ocean was not so compatible with the physiological structures of these creatures.

The great pressure they experienced as they descended into the depths of the ocean hindered their vital functions.

Recent research on this topic has revealed the reason behind this failure tallatosuchians It shows that there is a special feature in the nasal structures. A team from the University of Southampton examined the skulls of tallatosuchians in detail and compared these species to modern crocodile species.

The team analyzed 11 different fossil skulls using computed tomography scans. As a result of the research, interesting findings were found. As a result tallatosuchians The paranasal sinuses were observed to expand as they began to enter deep water.

This was actually an adjustment, but it did not produce the desired result. Especially in metriorhynchid species sinuseshas become vulnerable to increasing pressure in the deep sea. As the air compressed in the paranasal sinuses, the pressure could not stabilize them, causing them to collapse. This prevented these species such as dolphins and whales from diving into the depths of the ocean.

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