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https://theconversation.com/55-million-years-australias-oldest-crocodile-eggshells-found-in-queensland-269482>
"In southeast Queensland, roughly 250 kilometres from Brisbane, lies the tiny
town of Murgon. Located on Wakka Wakka Country, it’s home to about 2,000 people
– and one of the most important fossil sites in the world.
From the 55 million-year-old clays there, palaeontologists have unearthed a
range of precious fossils over several decades. These include the world’s
oldest fossil songbirds, the only known fossils of salamanders in Australia
and the oldest fossil marsupial remains in Australia.
And the site continues to serve up ancient treasures. In a new study, published
today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, my colleagues and I report the
discovery of the oldest crocodilian eggshells ever found in Australia.
These eggshells now serve as the basis for a new eggshell type,
Wakkaoolithus
godthelpi. They belong to the oldest known member of a now extinct group of
crocodiles known as mekosuchines. And they offer a new look into not just their
evolution – but also the forest-lined wetlands they lived in."
Also:
55m-year-old eggshells unearthed in Queensland may be older relative of
infamous ‘drop crocs’
<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/11/these-weird-crocs-were-all-over-the-place-australias-oldest-crocodile-eggshells-unearthed-in-queensland-back-yard>
"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. We probably did have
crocodiles that were spending time in the trees and jumping out on prey,”
Archer said."
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
