Great Sphinx rocks reveal new species of crocodile

The Great Sphinx, a famed monument in Egypt, is the source of a new crocodile species. The fossils responsible for this discovery were excavated from the 45-million-year-old Mokattam Formation, the very stones utilized in crafting the Sphinx. The skull, lacking only the tip of its snout, has been designated as Herugavialis cairensis. The naming honors the Egyptian god Heru, who might have served as inspiration for the Sphinx.

Originally thought to belong to the Tomistoma schlegelii species, the crocodile's classification was revised due to advancements in paleontology. A CT scan facilitated by an international team allowed researchers to distinguish several differences between the fossil and Tomistoma. These differences reveal that Herugavialis cairensis belongs to a group of crocodiles known as gavials, predominantly found in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia.

However, the fossil record of gavials showcases a broader distribution spanning more than 100 million years. The study, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, was led by Prof Philip Mannion of University College London along with Dr Paul Burke of the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. The team discovered that Egypt was a thriving habitat for various gavial species about 5,000 years ago, the era during which the Sphinx was constructed.

These environments were typically shallow marine settings. However, the diversity of crocodiles fluctuated over time, potentially correlating with shifts in global temperature and sea level. The drying of the Mediterranean approximately six million years ago led to the extinction of all crocodiles in this region.