{
  "id": 12499295,
  "title": "This Newly Identified Species of Extinct Crocodile is Missing the Tip of Its Nose, Just Like the Great Sphinx",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/this-newly-identified-species-of-extinct-crocodile-is-missing-the-tip",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discover Magazine",
    "slug": "discover-magazine",
    "url": "https://www.discovermagazine.com/this-newly-identified-species-of-extinct-crocodile-is-missing-the-tip-of-its-nose-just-like-the-great-sphinx-49778"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The recently discovered extinct crocodile species, named Herugavialis cairensis, shares a striking resemblance to the missing nose of the Great Sphinx. This discovery was made by an international research team led by the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. The fossils, hailing from Egypt's Mokattam Formation, which is also the source of the Great Sphinx's stone, revealed a near-complete skull of an ancient gavial-like crocodile. This species, previously thought to be a Tomistoma, has been named after the Egyptian god Heru, possibly the inspiration behind the Sphinx. The Mokattam Formation, approximately 45 million years old, is a treasure trove of fossils, including various gavial species that thrived in shallow marine environments during the Middle Eocene. Despite the erosion and weathering, the Great Sphinx's nose may have lost its tip due to human intervention, possibly during Napoleon's time, instead of natural causes.",
  "summary": "Learn more about Herugavialis cairensis, an extinct crocodile species whose fossil came from the same rocks as the Great Sphinx.",
  "key_points": [
    "Herugavialis cairensis species discovered in Egypt",
    "Fossils resemble Great Sphinx's missing nose",
    "Species named after Egyptian god Heru"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The discovery of Herugavialis cairensis, an extinct crocodile with a nose truncated like the Great Sphinx, suggests a possible ancient Egyptian inspiration for the Sphinx's distinctive feature.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Nautilus",
        "title": "From the Great Sphinx’s Raw Materials, a New Crocodile Species Surfaces",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/from-the-great-sphinxs-raw-materials-a-new-crocodile-species-surfaces",
        "published": "2026-10-06T23:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "New crocodile species discovered in rocks used to build the Great Sphinx",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/new-crocodile-species-discovered-in-rocks-used-to-build-the-great",
        "published": "2026-10-06T23:00:07.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Great Sphinx rocks reveal new species of crocodile",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/great-sphinx-rocks-reveal-new-species-of-crocodile",
        "published": "2026-10-06T23:01:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Science News",
        "title": "An extinct crocodilian was found among rocks that built the Great Sphinx",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/an-extinct-crocodilian-was-found-among-rocks-that-built-the-great",
        "published": "2026-10-06T23:05:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Mongabay",
        "title": "New crocodile species found fossilized in stone used to build Egypt’s Great Sphinx",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/new-crocodile-species-found-fossilized-in-stone-used-to-build-egypts",
        "published": "2026-10-06T23:14:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}