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New extinct crocodile species identified from Egypt fossil

By Drooid · Oct 7, 2026, 7:09 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Swedish Museum Announces Crocodile

Egypt's Swedish Museum of Natural History team announced a new extinct crocodile species, Herugavialis cairensis.
The discovery appears in a Royal Society Open Science paper published on 2026-10-06.
Researchers identified a gavial skull from Egypt’s Mokattam Formation and named it after god Heru linked to the Sphinx.
Lead author Paul Burke noted that crocodile diversity fluctuated with temperature and sea-level changes before disappearing about 6 million years ago.

Summary

Researchers Link Extinction

Researchers linked the 6 million-year-old extinction of Mediterranean gavials to salinity crises when the sea temporarily dried up.
The fossil shows Herugavialis lived as a shallow-water coastal predator rather than in modern freshwater habitats.
Khalafallah Salih of Al Neelain University said the find reveals far more complex African gavial evolution.
Paul Burke noted that only two endangered gavial species survive today, underscoring a long-term decline from marine diversity.

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Swedish Museum Announces Crocodile

Egypt's Swedish Museum of Natural History team announced a new extinct crocodile species, Herugavialis cairensis.
The discovery appears in a Royal Society Open Science paper published on 2026-10-06.
Researchers identified a gavial skull from Egypt’s Mokattam Formation and named it after god Heru linked to the Sphinx.
Lead author Paul Burke noted that crocodile diversity fluctuated with temperature and sea-level changes before disappearing about 6 million years ago.

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