Scientists are revising their understanding of ancient reptiles thanks to a peculiar crocodile relative from the dinosaur era. This creature, named Sonselasuchus cedrus, was about the size of a poodle and exhibited a remarkable developmental shift. Fossil evidence suggests it initially moved on all fours as a juvenile, only to transition to a bipedal, two-legged gait as it matured. This kind of developmental change in locomotion is exceptionally rare in the fossil record.

English Translation:

This Ancient Crocodile Relative Grew Up on Four Legs, Then Walked on Two

A strange crocodile relative from the age of dinosaurs is changing what scientists believed about ancient reptiles. This poodle-sized creature, named Sonselasuchus cedrus, appears to have begun life walking on all fours before shifting to a two-legged stance as it matured—an unusual transformation rarely observed in the fossil record.