There are two main reasons crocodiles survived the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. First, crocodiles can live for a very long time without food. Second, they lived in places that were the least affected when the asteroid hit Earth.
Alligators & Crocodiles: These sizeable reptiles survived–even though other large reptiles did not. Birds: Birds are the only dinosaurs to survive the mass extinction event 65 million years ago.
Crocodiles had some keys to survival
Crocodiles were another group that famously survived the asteroid. Obviously they can't fly, don't have feathers and don't eat seeds!
Crocodiles have cold-blooded metabolisms, which means they were able to live for long periods of time in severe darkness, cold, and with very little food.
Crocodiles
Well, crocodiles share a heritage with dinosaurs as part of a group known as archosaurs (“ruling reptiles”), who date back to the Early Triassic period (250 million years ago). The earliest crocodilian, meanwhile, evolved around 95 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous period.
In an evolutionary sense, birds are a living group of dinosaurs because they descended from the common ancestor of all dinosaurs.
In fact, birds are commonly thought to be the only animals around today that are direct descendants of dinosaurs. So next time you visit a farm, take a moment to think about it. All those squawking chickens are actually the closest living relatives of the most incredible predator the world has ever known!
It is believed that due to the combination of slow incubation and the considerable resources needed to reach adult size, the dinosaurs would have been at a distinct disadvantage compared to other animals that survived the asteroid that struck Earth 66 million years ago.
After the asteroid struck Earth long ago, all birds with teeth went extinct. But many of the toothless ones kept living. Some scientists think not having teeth is what allowed these birds to survive. Fossils of early toothless birds show they were able to eat more plant-based food – specifically nuts, fruits and seeds.
As the climate became warmer after the last ice age, the woolly rhinoceros, woolly mammoth and wild horse went extinct, but the reindeer, bison and musk ox survived.
It was a life-altering event. Around 66 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, an asteroid struck the Earth, triggering a mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and some 75% of all species.
While much of life became extinct during the End-Cretaceous extinction event, including all non-avian dinosaurs, sharks once again persisted.
But scientists say a handful of surviving snake species were able to thrive in a post-apocalyptic world by hiding underground and going long periods without food. The resilient reptiles then spread out across the globe, evolving into the 3,000 or more species known today.
Tardigrades have been around a long time.
Fossils date their existence on Earth to more than 500 million years ago. This means tardigrades have survived the planet's last five mass extinction events. They owe their longevity to some special characteristics.
Most dinosaurs went extinct. Only birds remained. Over the next 66 million years, birds evolved in many ways, which enabled them to survive in lots of different habitats.
No! After the dinosaurs died out, nearly 65 million years passed before people appeared on Earth. However, small mammals (including shrew-sized primates) were alive at the time of the dinosaurs.
What Survived and How? Believe it or not, some animals and other organisms survived the mass extinction. Crocodiles, small mammals, and even some tenacious plants, for example, managed to live on after the asteroid impact.
DNA breaks down over time. The dinosaurs went extinct around 66 million years ago and with so much time having passed it is very unlikely that any dinosaur DNA would remain today. While dinosaur bones can survive for millions of years, dinosaur DNA almost certainly does not.
For approximately 120 million years—from the Carboniferous to the middle Triassic periods—terrestrial life was dominated by the pelycosaurs, archosaurs, and therapsids (the so-called "mammal-like reptiles") that preceded the dinosaurs.
If they didn't die, but instead kept evolving, they may have developed even bigger brains and keener senses. And given millions of years of evolution, perhaps they would have taken the path of primates, eventually developing tool use, sophisticated communication, and even complex societies.
Emus are also prehistoric animals! Did you notice that their body structure resembles that of a dinosaur? While they're much smaller than dinosaurs, emus have long necks and legs that help these flightless birds reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour!
For now, however, the 65-million-year-old Triceratops is the world's last known surviving dinosaur.
They existed long before our time, and there are no dinosaurs left today. There are a lot of interesting and fascinating facts about dinosaurs that have been presented in movies and articles about them. We can better understand the history of our planet by studying the stories of dinosaurs.