The Daily Insight

Connected.Informed.Engaged.

general

How Did Alligators Survive The Ice Age?

Writer Sarah Silva

In the wake of the dinosaurs’ demise, new research suggests that it was the crocodile’s “versatile” and “efficient” body shape that helped them survive the environmental changes triggered by the impact of the asteroid. As long as they have access to fresh water, crocodiles will be able to thrive in any environment.

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

How did alligators survive the dinosaur extinction?

Rather than relying on living plants, these tiny creatures relied on dead leaves and bark that had fallen from the trees or washed in from elsewhere. The fact that they didn’t depend as heavily on living plants may have helped our ancient forebears survive the asteroid impact in the same way that crocodiles did.

How did the reptiles survive the Ice Age?

Some Grass Snake populations were found to have relocated to warmer southern refugia during the last Ice Age in Central Europe using genetic analyses. During this cold period, they provide the first evidence for the survival of a heat-loving, egg-laying reptile.

Were there alligators in the Ice Age?

Avoiding cold is how alligators manage to survive any kind of weather, and the Ice Age was no exception. As a cold-blooded reptile, alligators are unable to warm themselves.

Did alligators live with the dinosaurs?

In modern crocodiles and alligators, the Cretaceous period (145–66 million years ago), they are nearly identical to their ancestors from that time period. As a result, dinosaurs coexisted with animals that are virtually identical to those we see today!

What survived the Chicxulub impact?

In the event of a mass extinction event 65 million years ago, birds were the only dinosaurs to survive. In spite of their small size, frogs and salamanders survived the extinction of larger animals.

How big were alligators in prehistoric times?

Big ones, according to Dr. Cossette of NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University, were 30-35 feet long and weighed 8,000 pounds or so, he said

Did any species survive the Ice Age?

What reptiles lived during the Ice Age?

It was long before the ice ages that Ichthyosaurs were large aquatic reptiles that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. Between the end of the Permian and the beginning of the Triassic period, they evolved from egg-laying diapsid reptiles.

How many survived the Ice Age?

60 species are known to have gone extinct in North America at the end of the last Ice Age, approximately 12,000 years ago. Species such as mammoth, mastodon, stag-moose, giant beaver, and giant ground sloth were wiped out in what is now New York State.