Crocodile that lived more than 100 million years ago walked on two legs just like T Rex

Palaeontologists discovered nearly 100 fossilised prints left by the 10ft-long reptiles on a mudflat. The absence of tail markings or handprints proved that they walked on two legs like many dinosaurs. But unlike its prehistoric relatives, it did not walk on its toes and instead was flatfooted like modern crocs. The footprints are so well preserved that they show fine details of the toe pads and scales on the soles.

They were found in South Korea and analysed by University of Queensland, Australia, expert Dr Anthony Romilio who at first thought they had been left by a pterosaur, an early flying reptile.

Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, he said: “At one site, the footprints were initially thought to be made by a giant bipedal pterosaur walking on the mudflat. We now understand that these were bipedal crocodile prints.

“The footprints measure around 24 centimetres [10 inches], suggesting the trackmakers had legs about the same height as human adult legs.These were long animals that we estimate were over three metres in length.

“And while footprints were everywhere on the site, there were no handprints. Fossil crocodile tracks are quite rare in Asia.

“As an animal walks, the hind feet have the potential of stepping into the impression made by the hand and ‘over-printing’ it, but we find no evidence of this at these Korean sites.

“It isn’t due to poor preservation either, because these fossils are spectacular, they even have the fine details of the toe-pads and scales on their soles.”

Lead researcher Professor Kyung Soo Kim, from Chinju National University of Education, said the footprints were made 110-120 million years ago. He said: “Typical crocodiles walk in a squat stance and create trackways that are wide.

“Oddly, our trackways are very narrow looking – more like a crocodile balancing on a tightrope.

“When combined with the lack of any tail-drag marks, it became clear that these creatures were moving bipedally.

“They were moving in the same way as many dinosaurs, but the footprints were not made by dinosaurs.

“Dinosaurs and their bird descendants walk on their toes. Crocodiles walk on the flat of their feet leaving heel impressions like humans do.”

source: express.co.uk