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A rare fossil fragment, believed to be part of the world’s oldest marine crocodile, was uncovered by an amateur fossil hunter during a guided coastal walk in Lyme Regis, Dorset. Initially mistaking the fossil for a piece of wood with nails embedded in it, the finder soon realized its true nature after closer inspection. The specimen, which is an upper jawbone, is considered exceptionally rare—one of only 11 fossils of this ancient animal known worldwide.
The discovery was made by Heather Salt, an enthusiast from Solihull near Birmingham, who had traveled to Lyme Regis hoping to find an ammonite for her collection. She described the find as emerging from an area where an old dump was eroding onto the beach amid scattered bits of metal, leading her at first to assume the object was ordinary debris. “I really just wanted to find a little ammonite,” Heather said. However, after picking up the stone and showing it to the walk guide, Casey Rich, the significance quickly became apparent. Casey’s reaction underscored the importance of the fossil: “He said, ‘I would trade you my entire collection of ammonites for that.’”
Casey Rich, who led the fossil hunting walk, immediately recognized the fossil’s significance. His initial thoughts were that it might belong to a marine reptile such as an ichthyosaur or plesiosaur, both of which are rare finds themselves. His colleague’s suggestion that it might be a plesiosaur or crocodile heightened the realization of its rarity. Reflecting on the moment he held the fossil, Casey said, “When you hear ‘croc,’ you instantly think of the rarity.” Confirming its importance, the fossil was examined by Dr Paul Davis, geology curator at Lyme Regis Museum, who identified it as belonging to a crocodilian species and expressed his excitement: “That’s croc!”
This fossil is linked to the so-called “Charmouth Crocodile,” a marine species formally named Turnersuchus hingleyae, first discovered in 2017 by amateur fossil hunters Paul Turner and Elizabeth Hingley. This early Jurassic creature lived primarily in the ocean, coming ashore only to lay eggs and raise its young. It measured about two metres in length and had a long, slender snout adapted for fish-eating. Although often called a marine crocodile, it is more accurately classified as a thalattosuchian, a group within the broader Crocodylomorpha, which includes modern crocodiles and dates back some 230 million years.
Dr Paul Davis emphasized the significance of the 11 known fossils in shedding light on the early evolution of the crocodylomorphs. He explained that these specimens come from a crucial evolutionary period when the group was rapidly diversifying but for which very few fossils have been found. “These are some of those critical fossils,” he said. The fossils show that even 200 million years ago, the crocodylomorphs were highly specialized for marine life. According to Dr Davis, this jawbone will aid researchers in understanding how these animals used their jaws and caught fish. He added, “What we would love to find eventually would be a complete skull… that would help us to solve some of the issues we have about their evolution and biology.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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