Not just you, crocodiles were vegetarians too!

Ever being teased in school for being a herbivore. Well, you can always tell you friends a long list of animals in the jungle who are strong and vegetarian. Like elephants, giraffes, crocodiles… err yes. Crocodiles were vegetarians too, though you can add ‘once upon a time’ every time you place this argument. The researchers at the University of Utah who have studied prehistoric specimens found the teeth of prehistoric “crocodylians” — the name for alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials — and published their findings in the journal Current Biology. They found a much greater disparity in the teeth of crocodylians than exists today. These features suggest that extinct crocodile forms had a much wider dietary breadth than their living relatives, the paper says. The study found that their feeding ecologies have ranged from carnivores to insectivores, omnivores, and herbivores. And their vegetable-only diets weren’t a unique occurrence. The research says they may have evolved three separate times in ancient crocodyliforms and was a beneficial dietary strategy. So next time you know how to defend your food choices. Fun Fact Crocodiles really do produce tears. Because, while eating, they swallow too much air, which gets in touch with lachrymal glands (glands that produce tears) and forces tears to flow. But it’s not actually crying. The term “Crocodile tears” (and equivalents in many other languages) refers to a false, insincere display of emotion, such as a hypocrite crying fake tears of grief.