Ancient Croc was a Texas Native

A 96-million-year-old fossil discovered at Lake Lewisville near Dallas was identified as the prehistoric reptile Terminonaris by paleontologist Thomas Adams. Adams identified the reptile primarily from its long snout, which measures more than 2 feet long and 7 inches wide, or 62 centimeters. With a snout that long, Adams estimates the head would have been about one meter long. The reptile is a cousin of the modern-day Indian gharial. "With the recognition of Terminonaris here in Texas, this actually changes a lot about what we thought we knew about this group," Adams says… Now we know the group had a wider distribution range, and that it's much older. It represents a unique find for Texas. This is the first occurrence of Terminonaris in Texas. It's also the oldest occurrence of Terminonaris in the world, and it's also the southernmost occurrence of Terminonaris anywhere." Today there are only 23 species of living crocodiles, a small number compared to the many species of mammals, birds, lizards, snakes and fish alive today, Adams says. That's in stark contrast to prehistoric times. "In the past, the crocodilian forms were very diverse and they were very successful. There were hundreds of species. Even at the time of the Texas Terminonaris, they were found everywhere," Adams says. Texas Terminonaris was discovered by Dallas-area amateur fossil enthusiast Brian Condon, a rural mail carrier. Condon discovered the heavy pieces of the snout and a vertebrate in 2005 while fossil hunting near his home on Lake Lewisville, a 26,000-acre recreational and fishing lake managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He spotted the first of the pieces along the shoreline. Condon donated the fossils to SMU's Shuler Museum of Paleontology. In prehistoric times, Texas Terminonaris would have made its home in a marine setting, along the eastern shore of North America's vast prehistoric Western Interior Seaway. One hundred million years ago the seaway was a wide, shallow sea that split the North American continent in half from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, says Adams, lead author on the scientific article. The seaway would have covered Lake Lewisville's location. In its day-to-day life on the seaway, Terminonaris would have kept close to shore, perhaps in a shallow lagoon or estuary, also venturing into the seaway's warm salty water to hunt for fish. Like modern crocodiles and alligators, Terminonaris would have eaten whatever it could catch, Adams says.

Clams... good or bad? - Saltwaterfish.com

We have a fairly new 150 gal. aquarium.  We have introduced new live rock recently and now we have about 8-10 little clams growing on a different rock.  I realize that as you introduce things you have little critters that may come with them.  My question is are the clams good or bad?  The largest is about the size of a pinky nail.  Thanks for the help!

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