Mark Young, a researcher from the University of Edinburgh, said the results showed that they could increase their body temperature to stay warm when the temperature changed drastically, the way modern birds or mammals do.
Oxygen levels in fossil tooth enamel are affected by animal body temperature. This allowed researchers to measure them to tell if they were cold or warm blooded.
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Analysis shows that metriorhynchids can raise their body temperature above their surroundings by using metabolism them to generate heat.
“Perhaps this has helped them thrive during the global winter about 150 million years ago when the dinosaurs were wiped out,” he was quoted as saying Daily Mail, Thursday (3/2/2022).
This ancient crocodile could generate warm temperatures by developing a body like a dolphin and venturing into the open ocean.
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Whereas crocodile that exist today are known to be cold-blooded and cannot generate their own heat. So when entering winter they will hibernate for months.
“This discovery helps us better understand this strange crocodile,” said Dr Mark Young.
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