"Scientists have identified what are believed to be the oldest crocodilian eggshells ever found in Australia, unearthed in a grazier's back yard in regional Queensland. The 55m-year-old eggshells found at a fossil deposit in Murgon, approximately 270km north-west of Brisbane likely belong to a group of extinct crocodiles known as mekosuchines, new research suggests. Modern saltwater and freshwater crocodiles only arrived in Australia about 3.8m years ago."
"Before they got here, these weird mekosuchine crocs were all over the place, said study co-author Prof Michael Archer, a palaeontologist at the University of New South Wales. Some mekosuchines were partial tree dwellers, such as the ridge-headed crocodile, which has been nicknamed the drop croc because it may have climbed trees and dropped on to animals passing below. The idea of drop crocs' isn't as crazy as it sounds."
"The fossil eggshells found at Murgon likely belonged to an earlier genus of mekosuchines known as Kambara. We know we're looking at the oldest crocodile eggshells certainly in Australia the Kambara mekosuchines are the first ones we know of this whole group, Archer said."
55-million-year-old crocodilian eggshells were found in a grazier's backyard at Murgon, Queensland. The eggshells likely belong to extinct mekosuchine crocodiles of the genus Kambara and represent the oldest known crocodile eggshells in Australia. Mekosuchines included species that climbed trees and ambushed prey. Modern saltwater and freshwater crocodiles colonized Australia about 3.8 million years ago. Twelve fossil eggshells collected in the 1990s were analyzed for microstructural and geochemical signals to infer nesting sites and breeding behaviors. Eggshells can provide taxonomic and ecological information and should be routinely collected and curated.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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