Did ancient species of crocodile walk on two legs?

It's believed that an ancient species of crocodile walked on two legs

Crocodiles are known for their short legs, scaly skin and mighty snap.

However, new research suggests the reptiles may have once walked on two hind legs!

Scientist believe an ancient species of crocodile which is thought to have lived between 110 and 120 million years ago got around on two legs just like dinosaurs.

This reptile is thought to belong to a new species of crocodylomorph, which are the ancestors of what we know as crocodiles and alligators today.

The scientists put together this image to show how the 'crocodile' would compare with a human.

The team who made the discovery studied large and well-preserved footprints found at an excavation site in South Korea.

At first, they thought the footmarks were from a winged ancient reptile known as a pterosaur.

However, when the scientists took a closer look at the footprints, they realised they probably didn't belong to the flying dinosaurs.

"At one site, the footprints were initially thought to be made by a giant bipedal pterosaur walking on the mudflat, we now understand that these were bipedal crocodile prints," said Dr Anthony Romilio from the University of Queensland in Australia.

"The footprints measure around 24 centimetres, suggesting the track-makers had legs about the same height as human adult legs."

Although the footmarks suggest the animals moved in a similar way to two-legged dinosaurs, they show clear heel impressions similar to those made by crocodiles according to professor Kyung Soo Kim who led the research.

"Dinosaurs and their bird descendants walk on their toes," he said. "Crocodiles walk on the flat of their feet leaving clear heel impressions, like humans do."

However, the marks reveal the animals would have had a narrower stance compared to the crocodiles we may have seen in pictures, videos or the zoo.

"Typical crocodiles walk in a squat stance and create trackways that are wide," said the professor.

"Oddly, our trackways are very narrow looking - more like a crocodile balancing on a tight-rope."