Extinctions

http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2012/02/2009-morrinhosuchus-brazil.html

     This article, found on Yahoo! News, was about the massive extinctions that happened during the Triassic and Jurassic eras and how those extinctions brought upon the rise of the crocodiles and alligators that we have nowadays.
     According to the article all but one of the pseudosuchia lineage died off, due to volcanic activity or a meteor, which then diversified to live in both sea and on land.  Whilst doing research on skull characteristics details about species diversities was found.  Through analysis there was great diversity only a few million years after the extinctions took place, fanning the new crocodilelike species into their different environments of the Triassic period.  This extintion, according to Brusatte, a paleontologist at University of Edinburgh, the extinction likely had a  major effect on giving new species a change.

Ghose, Tia. "Massive Extinction Fueled Rise of Crocodiles - Yahoo! News." Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines. Yahoo!, 26 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. <http://news.yahoo.com/massive-extinction-fueled-rise-crocodiles-001311363.html>.

Original Source: http://www.livescience.com/28208-extinction-led-to-crocodile-explosion.html

More Reading on fossil records: http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/palaeofiles/fossilgroups/crocodylomorpha/fossilrecord.html