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© The Author(s) 2025. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the "License"). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

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.

Details

Title
A new late Pleistocene fossil crocodile from Sudan reveals hidden diversity of Crocodylus in Africa
Author
Salih, Khalafallah 1 ; Müller, Johannes 2 ; Eisawi, Ali 3 ; Bibi, Faysal 2 

 Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany (ROR: https://ror.org/052d1a351) (GRID: grid.422371.1) (ISNI: 0000 0001 2293 9957); Faculty of Petroleum and Minerals, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan (ROR: https://ror.org/05dvsnx49) (GRID: grid.440839.2) (ISNI: 0000 0001 0650 6190) 
 Museum Für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany (ROR: https://ror.org/052d1a351) (GRID: grid.422371.1) (ISNI: 0000 0001 2293 9957) 
 Faculty of Petroleum and Minerals, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan (ROR: https://ror.org/05dvsnx49) (GRID: grid.440839.2) (ISNI: 0000 0001 0650 6190); Department of Geology, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan (ROR: https://ror.org/02jbayz55) (GRID: grid.9763.b) (ISNI: 0000 0001 0674 6207) 
Pages
27433
Section
Article
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3235529742
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2025. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the "License"). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.