A new study indicates the giant reptile Deinosuchus is not a close relative of modern alligators, as scientists previously thought, and it might have thrived by tolerating saltwater

Scientists now say Deinosuchus was not an alligatoroid at all. Unlike its freshwater cousins, it retained the salt glands found in early crocodilians—organs that help regulate salt levels by excreting excess sodium chloride. These are still present in modern crocodiles but absent in today’s alligators.