Crikey! Massive prehistoric croc emerges from South East Queensland

A prehistoric croc measuring additional than 5 metres extensive – dubbed the ‘swamp king’ – ruled south japanese Queensland waterways only a couple million a long time ago.

University of Queensland scientists determined the new species of prehistoric croc – which they named Paludirex vincenti – from fossils 1st unearthed in the 1980s.

UQ PhD applicant Jorgo Ristevski, from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, stated they named the species after Geoff Vincent who learned the large fossilised cranium in the vicinity of the city of Chinchilla.

“In Latin, ‘Paludirex’ signifies ‘swamp king’, and ‘vincenti’ honours the late Mr Vincent,” he explained.

“For many yrs the fossilised cranium was on show in the Queensland Museum, right before it was donated to the Chinchilla Museum in 2011.

“The ‘swamp king’ was a single intimidating croc.

“Its fossilised cranium actions all around 65 centimetres, so we estimate Paludirex vincenti was at minimum five metres very long.

“The most significant crocodylian nowadays is the Indo-Pacific crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, which grows to about the very same dimensions.

“But Paludirex had a broader, more significant-established skull so it would’ve resembled an Indo-Pacific crocodile on steroids.”

Paludirex was one particular of the top rated predators in Australia a few million several years back, capable of preying on huge prehistoric marsupials.

“The waterways of the Darling Downs would after have been a extremely risky location for the reason that of it,” Mr Ristevski claimed.

Mr Ristevski’s supervisor, Dr Steve Salisbury, mentioned a variety of species of prehistoric crocodylians experienced existed in Australia.

“Crocs have been an crucial part of Australia’s fauna for tens of millions of years,” Dr Salisbury mentioned.

“But the two species we have today — Crocodylus porosus and Crocodylus johnstoni — are only recent arrivals, and were being not part of the endemic croc fauna that existed right here from about 55 million yrs in the past.

“Irrespective of whether Paludirex vincenti went extinct as a outcome of opposition with species like Crocodylus porosus is difficult to say.

“The alternate is that it went extinct as the local climate dried, and the river methods it after inhabited contracted – we are now investigating both eventualities.”

The exploration has been released in the open accessibility journal PeerJ (DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10466).&#13

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