Germany's waters once saw a recently discovered new reptile species known as the Enalioetes schroederi, best characterized as a crocodile which has dolphin-like qualities which lived around 135 million years ago. It is believed in its latest study that it was present during the Cretaceous period, the renowned time that succeeded the Jurassic period and the last of the Mesozoic era.
In the latest study, researchers were able to study the new species from a "perfect" specimen of fossil, offering more insights into the past.
Dolphin-like Crocodile from 135M Years Ago in Germany Unveiled
Joschua Knüppe
Researchers have uncovered a new genus of crocodiles from 135 million years ago, and it was revealed to have also manifested dolphin-like qualities, mostly present in the shallow waters of North-western Germany. This is the Enalioetes schroederi, a metriorhynchid crocodylomorph from the lower Valanginian Stadthagen Formation, a.k.a. the Lower Cretaceous.
Its latest study dived deep into its discovery of a perfect fossil, with the crocodile-dolphin hybrid's skull intact, and lead researcher, Sven Sachs, sharing their findings to the world.
Scientists studied the fossil that was discovered more than a century ago in Hannover. They were able to reconstruct its believed appearance, as well as its behavior and lifestyle, and claimed to be an excellent carnivorous predator in the waters.
Living Through the Cretaceous Period and Links to Dinosaurs
The crocodile features a smooth skin like a dolphin, and unlike modern crocs, it does not have scales. The Enalioetes also has flippers and a tailfin which gives it power underwater, paired with its "serrated teeth" making it an apex hunter of fish, squid, and other water-based reptiles.
It is believed that metriorhynchids were more apparent during the Jurassic, but this evidence from the Cretaceous period exhibits their evolution through the final part of the Mesozoic era, living alongside dinosaurs.
The Ancient Animals and Rulers of the Planet Earth
The end of the Cretaceous period almost 65 million years ago marked the extinction of the mighty dinosaurs, with the massive reptiles being wiped off the planet after living for many years since the start of the Mesozoic era.
Since the first discovery of dinosaurs until the present, there is no shortage of new knowledge about the ancient animals that were earlier to have roamed the planet compared to humans.
Over the past years during the modern age, there have been significant discoveries made by scientists, particularly in understanding more of these massive reptiles. In 2020, researchers were able to obtain a perfectly preserved skull of a Buriolestes schultzi, to which it performed a CT scan to fully reveal what is inside, also able to obtain an endocast in 3D.
Dinosaurs come in different forms, sizes, and types, believed to have lived on the planet from 250 million years ago until their eventual wipeout from Earth about 66 million years ago. However, discoveries on these extinct animals continue, with the Enalioetes schroederi believed to be a crocodile and dolphin hybrid, recently being discovered to have lived around 135 million years ago in Germany.
