Till date we have heard the dinosaurs are the oldest dominating animals that lived 65 millions years ago on earth. Well scientists have found a new animal that lived some 230 million years ago years before dinosaurs.
The animal is named Carnufex carolinensis or "Carolina butcher". The "Carolina butcher" a 9 foot long and 5 foot tall animal with looks like that of a crocodile is one of the most primitive animal on that lived Earth 230 million years ago. It is assumed to have a long skull resembling a knife and blade like teeth. The Carolina butcher used to have lived in the warm and humid region of North Carolina.
Even though Carolina butcher is an early member of the crocodile lineage, its features are not that of the present day crocodile. The present day crocodiles are aquatic and crawl on ground but it is not the same for Carolina butcher. They were not aquatic and used to walk on hind legs.
Scientists discovered the fossils of Carolina butcher including the spine, skull and arm bone while excavating the Pekin Formation in Chatham County, North Carolina. A three dimensional model of the fossil was created to get a general idea of this creature. The missing parts were filled by it much similar looking animals.
The scientists have not found any trace or evidence of dinosaurs living at that time. Therefore it is assumed that these Carolina butcher were the most dominating animal living at that time.
"Around the equator at that time, we don't yet have dinosaurs showing up in this ecosystem," said Lindsay Zanno of NC State University and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the lead author of the study. "But as far as we know they weren't there."
The Carolina butcher is said to have lived along with aetosaurs and phytosaurs.
