Crocodiles (and their ancestors) have been around for over 200 million years, with the direct ancestors of modern crocodiles appearing around 95 million years ago.

How long have crocodiles been around?

Scientists trace crocodile ancestors—crocodylomorphs and related “pseudosuchians”—back to the late Triassic or early Jurassic, more than 200–235 million years ago. These early relatives evolved alongside some of the first dinosaurs on Earth.

The forms that closely resemble modern crocodiles (true crocodilians: crocodiles, alligators, gharials) evolved later, in the Late Cretaceous, around 95 million years ago.

Mini timeline of crocodile history

  • Around 235–225 million years ago: First crocodile-line reptiles (pseudosuchians and early crocs) appear in the Triassic period.
  • Around 200 million years ago: Early crocodiles that already look surprisingly similar to modern ones exist by the early Jurassic.
  • Around 95 million years ago: “Modern-type” crocodilians (crocodiles and alligators’ common ancestor) arise in the Late Cretaceous.
  • Today: Only a small fraction of that once‑huge crocodile family survives, but their overall body plan has changed relatively slowly compared to many other animals.

Key facts at a glance (HTML table)

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Question Short answer
How long have crocodile-line animals been around? Over 200–235 million years (since the Triassic/Jurassic).
How long have modern- style crocodilians existed? About 95 million years (since the Late Cretaceous).
Did they live with dinosaurs? Yes, their ancestors evolved alongside dinosaurs and share a broader archosaur heritage.

Why people call them “living fossils”

Crocodiles are often described as “living fossils” because fossils from roughly 200 million years ago show crocodiles with a very similar overall body shape—long snout, armored body, strong tail—to those we see today. They have evolved and diversified over time, but their basic design has been so successful that it changed relatively slowly compared with many other lineages.

TL;DR: Crocodile-line reptiles go back over 200–235 million years, and the modern-style crocodiles we recognize today have been around for about 95 million years, surviving multiple mass extinctions and the end of the dinosaurs.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.