A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa
Abstract While Crocodylus fossils are common in late Cenozoic deposits of Africa, there is a lack of knowledge about species diversity within the genus, especially after the Early Pleistocene. Here we report on a complete skull of a new fossil Crocodylus from the Late Pleistocene of the Middle Atbar...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08980-6 |
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| author | Khalafallah Salih Johannes Müller Ali Eisawi Faysal Bibi |
| author_facet | Khalafallah Salih Johannes Müller Ali Eisawi Faysal Bibi |
| author_sort | Khalafallah Salih |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract While Crocodylus fossils are common in late Cenozoic deposits of Africa, there is a lack of knowledge about species diversity within the genus, especially after the Early Pleistocene. Here we report on a complete skull of a new fossil Crocodylus from the Late Pleistocene of the Middle Atbara River, eastern Sudan. Cranial morphology resembles Plio-Pleistocene species of Crocodylus from Africa in having upturned squamosals, though not as prominently developed as in these species, whereas the skull differs from fossil and extant Crocodylus in having a vaulted sagittal boss on the dorsal surface of the rostrum, and in the absence of a supraoccipital exposure on the dorsal skull table. Phylogenetic analyses indicate the Atbara Crocodylus represents a separate species and is more closely related to the fossil African crocodiles than the extant forms. The new species represents the first fossil Crocodylus to be described from the Late Pleistocene of Africa, providing new information on the occurrences and diversification of the genus Crocodylus during the Late Pleistocene. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2ff6e53cde64476ab8f0b1bded4cb373 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ff6e53cde64476ab8f0b1bded4cb3732025-08-20T03:04:30ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111410.1038/s41598-025-08980-6A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in AfricaKhalafallah Salih0Johannes Müller1Ali Eisawi2Faysal Bibi3Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceMuseum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceFaculty of Petroleum and Minerals, Al Neelain UniversityMuseum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity ScienceAbstract While Crocodylus fossils are common in late Cenozoic deposits of Africa, there is a lack of knowledge about species diversity within the genus, especially after the Early Pleistocene. Here we report on a complete skull of a new fossil Crocodylus from the Late Pleistocene of the Middle Atbara River, eastern Sudan. Cranial morphology resembles Plio-Pleistocene species of Crocodylus from Africa in having upturned squamosals, though not as prominently developed as in these species, whereas the skull differs from fossil and extant Crocodylus in having a vaulted sagittal boss on the dorsal surface of the rostrum, and in the absence of a supraoccipital exposure on the dorsal skull table. Phylogenetic analyses indicate the Atbara Crocodylus represents a separate species and is more closely related to the fossil African crocodiles than the extant forms. The new species represents the first fossil Crocodylus to be described from the Late Pleistocene of Africa, providing new information on the occurrences and diversification of the genus Crocodylus during the Late Pleistocene.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08980-6 |
| spellingShingle | Khalafallah Salih Johannes Müller Ali Eisawi Faysal Bibi A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa Scientific Reports |
| title | A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa |
| title_full | A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa |
| title_fullStr | A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa |
| title_short | A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa |
| title_sort | new late pleistocene fossil crocodile from sudan reveals hidden diversity of crocodylus in africa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08980-6 |
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