Alligators may **t
have changed much in 8
million years
The species of alligator roaming Florida's swamps and golf courses may be millions of
years older than previously thought, scientists from the University of Florida said.
What's more, the sharp-toothed reptiles we see today may be almost biologically identical to their millennia-old ancestors — an incredibly rare trait for most living species, according to a pair of studies shared with
Mashable this week.
"What we saw 8
million years ago in Florida is virtually the same thing as what we
have there today," Evan Whiting, the studies' lead author and a vertebrate paleontologist, said by phone from Gainesville.
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Environmental Conservation,
Sea Level Rise,
Climate Change,
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American Alligator