Crocodile fossils suggest giant reptiles emerged earlier than previously thought

Scientists have identified the remains of a prehistoric crocodile species. Their discovery suggests early aquatic reptiles first emerged during the Middle Jurassic, a few million years earlier than previously thought.

Ieldraan melkshamensis belongs to a sub-family of prehistoric crocodiles called Geosaurini -- a group that includes the distant relatives of modern crocodiles. Until now, researchers thought the group first emerged during the Late Jurassic period, between 152 and 157 million years ago. The newly identified fossil suggests the group emerged at least 163 million years.

The fossil has been out of the ground for 150 years, spending most of the last century in storage at the Natural History Museum. The croc's remains were badly damaged, but a team of paleontologists for the University of Edinburgh were able to identify the species. The fossil was originally recovered from the Oxford Clay Formation in England.

"It's not the prettiest fossil in the world, but the Melksham Monster tells us a very important story about the evolution of these ancient crocodiles and how they became the apex predators in their ecosystem, Davide Foffa, a doctoral student in the geosciences school at Edinburgh, said in a news release. "Without the amazing preparation work done by our collaborators at the Natural History Museum, it would not have been possible to work out the anatomy of this challenging specimen."

Despite the fossil's damage, researchers recognized the distinct skull, lower jaw and teeth of Ieldraan melkshamensis. They described their analysis this week in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.

The Melksham Monster once thrived among the shallow seas that covered most of Europe during the Jurassic. The croc grew to 10 feet in length. Its strong jaws and sharp, serrated teeth were capable of taking down large prey, like prehistoric squid.

"The Melksham Monster would have been one of the top predators in the oceans of Jurassic Britain, at the same time that dinosaurs were thundering across the land," researcher Steve Brusatte said.

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