What feature suggests the ancestral stock leading to $\textit{C. niloticus}$ dispersed westward across a connected landscape?
Answer
Its closer relation to crocodiles of the Americas
Genetic analysis shows that $\textit{C. niloticus}$ is more closely related to American, Cuban, and Orinoco crocodiles than it is to its recognized West African relative ($\textit{C. suchus}$), implying an ancient dispersal event across a connected landscape.
Related Questions
What does the Greek part of the binomial name $\textit{Crocodylus niloticus}$ describe?During which geological era did the extant Nile crocodile first appear according to East African fossils?Approximately how many million years ago (Ma) do fossils recovered from Kenya date the first appearance of $\textit{Crocodylus niloticus}$?What morphological feature did massive extinct relatives like $\textit{C. anthropophagus}$ possess?To which modern crocodile species is $\textit{Rimasuchus lloydi}$ actually more closely related, despite its size?Which region was historically part of the Nile crocodile's expansive northern range but is now largely extirpated due to habitat change and pollution?In what year did genetic studies formally recognize the West African crocodile populations as a separate species, $\textit{Crocodylus suchus}$?What specific morphological variation is noted in crocodiles from Lake Turkana, Kenya?Approximately how recently is the colonization of Madagascar by Nile crocodiles thought to have occurred?What feature suggests the ancestral stock leading to $\textit{C. niloticus}$ dispersed westward across a connected landscape?