Unravelling the surprisingly complex history of crocodiles

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Unravelling the surprisingly complex history of crocodiles

Crocodiles have a deep and varied evolutionary past. Now researchers are peeling back the layers to find out how the surviving species came to be.

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There are around 28 living species of crocodilians found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.

But this is just a tiny fraction of the number of crocodile species that used to exist.

A pair of new papers has been delving into this rich evolutionary history, tracking where this group originated and how it spread around the world, as well as exploring the origin of their typical slow growth. Researchers found that the larger, modern group of crocodilians likely first appeared in Europe up to 145 million years ago.

Read More: ➡️ The Natural History Museum

 

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[Alchopwn]

I hate to be a pedant, but History is the study of written documents with a view to discovering information about the human past.  As crocodiles don't, afaik, possess a written script or documents, this would be an article about the evolutionary past of crocodiles, not history per se. 😎

[Waspie_Dwarf]

58 minutes ago, Alchopwn said:

I hate to be a pedant, but History is the study of written documents with a view to discovering information about the human past.  As crocodiles don't, afaik, possess a written script or documents, this would be an article about the evolutionary past of crocodiles, not history per se. 😎

I hate to be pedantic but the word history has multiple meanings.

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history

noun

his·to·ry ˈhi-st(ə-)rē 

 

pluralhistories

Synonyms of history

1

: TALE, STORY

 

2

a

: a chronological record of significant events (such as those affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes

a history of Japan

 

b

: a treatise presenting systematically related natural phenomena (as of geography, animals, or plants)

an illustrated history of North American birds

 

c

: an account of a patient's medical background

reviewing her medical history

 

d

: an established record

a prisoner with a history of violence

 

 

3

: a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events

medieval history

 

 

4

a

: events that form the subject matter of a history

the history of space exploration

 

b

: events of the past

History has shown that such efforts rarely succeed.

 

c

: one that is finished or done for

the winning streak was history

 

you're history

 

d

: previous treatment, handling, or experience (as of a metal)

a history of repeated exposure to freezing temperatures

Source: Merriam-Webster

Given definition 2b I would suggest that next time you try to be pedantic it might be a good idea to first check that you are correct.