Scientists have announced the discovery of a previously unknown crocodilian species that lived in the shallow seas covering what is now northern Egypt about 45 million years ago. The fossil specimens, recovered from the limestone of the Mokattam Formation – the same rock that ancient builders quarried for the Great Sphinx and the Giza pyramids – have been re‑examined and re‑classified as a new genus, Herugavialis, after Horus, the Egyptian deity traditionally associated with the construction of the Sphinx.
From Museum Shelf to New Species
The key fossil, a nearly complete skull first uncovered in the 1920s, was originally assigned to the extinct species Tomistoma cairense. Recent evolutionary analyses and high‑resolution CT scans performed by a team led by Paul Burke of the Swedish Museum of Natural History and Philip Mannion of University College London revealed distinct anatomical features that warranted a separate genus.
“Herugavialis cairensis is one of the six known gharial‑type species that appear in the Mediterranean region over a 43‑million‑year span, from 66 to 23 million years ago,” Burke explained. “There may be additional species we have yet to recognize.”
Characteristics and Ecology
Like modern gharials, Herugavialis possessed a long, slender snout and razor‑sharp, pointed teeth, adaptations ideal for catching fish. The Mokattam Formation is rich in bony and cartilaginous fish fossils, suggesting a plentiful food source for the semi‑aquatic predator. The skull’s raised eye sockets, similar to those of the Indian gharial, would have given the animal a telescopic field of view above the water’s surface.
Burke noted that the species likely inhabited shallow marine environments, feeding on the diverse fish assemblages preserved in the same limestone layers that later supplied the building material for Egypt’s most iconic monuments.
Implications for Paleontology
The reclassification underscores the value of revisiting historic museum collections with modern techniques. “Often it’s a matter of time and resources for researchers and curators,” Mannion said. “Many fossils sit in drawers awaiting a fresh look.”
Experts not involved in the study, such as Alex Hastings, Fitzpatrick Chair of Paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota, praised the work for expanding knowledge of long‑snouted crocodylians across the ancient Mediterranean and improving our understanding of Eocene ecosystems, a period marked by significantly warmer global temperatures.
Broader Significance
The discovery adds to the growing picture of Egypt’s prehistoric marine life, which includes a wide array of fish, sharks, early whales, and even prehistoric turtles that may yet be uncovered within the same limestone. It also highlights the intertwined nature of natural history and human heritage, as the very stone that preserved these ancient creatures later became the foundation for the Great Sphinx and surrounding monuments.
Continued study of the Mokattam Formation promises to reveal further insights into the diversity of ancient predators and the environments they inhabited, reminding us that even well‑known historic sites can still hold scientific surprises.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
