Imagined above is a Chinese alligator, carefully associated to the freshly found Alligator munensis from Thailand. This groundbreaking research reveals distinct skull attributes and uses a deeper dive into the evolutionary lineage of Asian alligators.
A study just recently released in Scientific Reports information the discovery of a previously unidentified ancient alligator types discovered in Thailand, which shares close evolutionary ties with the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis).
Researchers Gustavo Darlim, Márton Rabi, Kantapon Suraprasit, Pannipa Tian, and their team determined the new species by taking a look at a nearly total fossilized skull– which they date to more youthful than 230,000 years of ages– from Ban Si Liam, Thailand. They have actually named the species Alligator munensis in reference to the close-by Mun River.
The authors analyzed the remains and examined the evolutionary relationships between A. munensis and other species by comparing its remains with those of 19 specimens from 4 extinct alligator types, in addition to the living American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), Chinese alligator and spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus) types. They also examined formerly published research on the skeletal characteristics of, and evolutionary relationships between, alligator types.
The authors recognized a number of skull features that are distinct to A. munensis, including a broad and short snout, a high skull, minimized number of tooth sockets and nostrils that are positioned far from the pointer of the snout. In addition, they note similarities between the skulls of A. munensis and the Chinese alligator, such as the presence of a small opening in the roof the mouth, a ridge on the top of the skull, and a raised ridge behind the nostrils.
They propose that the two species are closely related and may have shared a typical forefather in the lowlands of the Yangtze-Xi and Mekong-Chao Phraya river systems. They speculate that boosts in the elevation of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau in between 23 and five million years earlier might have caused the separation of various populations and evolution of 2 different species.
The authors observed that A. munensis has large tooth sockets towards the back of its mouth, which shows that it might have possessed big teeth that could have been capable of crushing shells. As an outcome of this, they recommend that A. munensis might have eaten hard-shelled prey, such as snails, in addition to other animals.
The findings provide additional insight into the evolution of Asian alligators.
Recommendation: “An extinct deep-snouted Alligator types from the Quaternary of Thailand and discuss the advancement of crushing dentition in alligatorids” by Gustavo Darlim, Kantapon Suraprasit, Yaowalak Chaimanee, Pannipa Tian, Chotima Yamee, Mana Rugbumrung, Adulwit Kaweera and Márton Rabi, 13 July 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-36559-6.