Palaeontologists have discovered a new species of ancient marine crocodile from Egypt’s Western Desert.
Based on the remains of four animals dug up in the arid plains of the Kharga Oasis, it is thought the species lived around 80 million years ago and is the earliest known member of dyrosauridae – a group of ancient crocodiles that thrived in coastal and marine environments.
Named Wadisuchus kassabi, the animal was 3.5–4 metres long with an elongated snout and large, sharp teeth, which it used to catch prey such as fish and turtles. Researchers say the discovery, published in The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, is vital for understanding how reptiles adapted and diversified after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
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“The fossils of Wadisuchus kassabi were excavated near Kharga and Baris oases in Egypt’s Western Desert,” says the senior author of the study Hesham Sallam from the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center (MUVP) .
“They include two partial skulls and two snout tips representing four individuals at different stages of growth, providing rare insight into how dyrosaurids developed,” adds Sallam, who says high-resolution CT scans and 3D surface models allowed the researchers to examine the anatomy of the animals in unprecedented detail.
About the size of today’s Nile crocodile, the newly identified species differs from other dyrosaurids as it has “four teeth at the front of the snout instead of the primitive five, nostrils positioned on top of the snout for surface breathing, and a deep notch at the tip of the snout where the jaws met,” says the lead author of the study Sara Saber from MUVP.
“These features show a gradual adaptation in the dyrosaurid bite, marking an important step in their evolutionary history,” adds Saber.
“The new species pushes back evidence for an African origin of dyrosauridae and suggests that their diversification began earlier than previously thought – possibly during the Early Coniacian–Santonian (about 87–83 million years ago), rather than the traditionally assumed Maastrichtian (about 72–66 million years ago).”
The new species’ name – Wadisuchus kassabi – comes from the word Wadi (“وادي,” Arabic for ‘valley’), which is a nod to the New Valley, where it was discovered; and Suchus for the ancient crocodile god Sobek. The name also pays homage to Professor Ahmed Kassab for his contributions to Egyptian palaeontology.
Belal Salem, curator of fossil reptiles and birds at MUVP, says “the significance of Wadisuchus lies not only in what it reveals about the evolutionary history of this remarkable group of crocodiles – though that is a major achievement – but also in what it reminds us of: Egypt’s Western Desert still holds treasures that preserve the secrets of our planet’s deep past. Our mission is not only to uncover these fossils but also to protect the fossil-rich sites from urban expansion and agricultural encroachment. They are a legacy for generations of Egyptians to come.”
Top image: Western Desert in Egypt. Credit: Getty
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