![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/low-res-8.jpeg\" "\\"80")
Lead author Sara Saber pictured with the holotype specimen of\u00a0Wadisuchus kassabi\u00a0at the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center, Mansoura, Egypt. Credit: Hesham Sallam<\/p>\nFossilized remains of a long-snouted crocodile-like reptile have been uncovered in Egypt\u2019s Western Desert.<\/p>\n
Paleontologists from Mansoura University have named the new species of ancient crocodile as Wadisuchus kassabi, which lived about 80 million years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a 3.5\u20134-meter (11.4 feet \u2013 13 feet) long reptile with a long snout and sharp teeth.<\/p>\n
The new fossil is key to understanding the evolution of the Dyrosauridae \u2014 an ancient crocodile group that stood apart from modern species.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the species is notably the oldest known member of this Dyrosauridae group.<\/p>\n
Lead author Sara Saber pictured with the holotype specimen of\u00a0Wadisuchus kassabi\u00a0at the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center, Mansoura, Egypt. Credit: Hesham Sallam<\/p>\n
Fossil examination using CT scans <\/p>\n
The Wadisuchus kassabi fossils were found near the Kharga and Baris oases in Egypt\u2019s Western Desert.<\/p>\n
The discovery includes two partial skulls and two snout tips from four individuals at various growth stages, offering rare insight into how dyrosaurids developed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Researchers used high-resolution CT scans and 3D surface models to uncover exceptional anatomical details from these specimens.<\/p>\n
The species displayed several unique characteristics that marked a gradual adaptation in the dyrosaurid bite and an important step in their evolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It possessed four teeth at the front of the snout, unlike the primitive five seen in other dyrosaurids. The ancient reptile<\/a>\u2019s nostrils were positioned on top of the snout for surface breathing.<\/p>\n Moreover, it had a deep notch at the tip where the jaws met.<\/p>\n \u201cBeyond the distinctive features of Wadisuchus, it plays a crucial role in understanding the origin of the dyrosaurid group,\u201d said<\/a> Sara Saber, lead author of the study, and Assistant Lecturer at Assiut University.<\/p>\n \u201cThe new species pushes back evidence for an African origin of Dyrosauridae and suggests that their diversification began earlier than previously thought\u2014possibly during the Early Coniacian\u2013Santonian (about 87\u201383 million years ago), rather than the traditionally assumed Maastrichtian (about 72\u201366 million years ago),\u201d explained Saber.<\/p>\n As compared to modern crocodiles,<\/a> dyrosaurids were masters of coastal and marine environments.\u00a0<\/p>\n The slender, needle-sharp teeth allowed these ancient reptiles to capture slippery prey like fish and turtles.<\/p>\n Ancestor of the group <\/p>\n The ability to survive and disperse globally after the extinction of the dinosaurs<\/a> makes them a vital subject to study how reptiles adapted and diversified following a catastrophic collapse of global ecosystems.<\/p>\n It suggests Africa was the \u201ccradle\u201d of dyrosaurid evolution, with later lineages spreading globally.\u00a0<\/p>\n Furthermore, the analyses consistently position the new species as an ancestor of the entire dyrosaurid group.<\/p>\n \u201cThe significance of Wadisuchus lies not only in what it reveals about the evolutionary history of this remarkable group of crocodiles\u2014though that is a major achievement\u2014but also in what it reminds us of: Egypt\u2019s Western Desert still holds treasures that preserve the secrets of our planet\u2019s deep past,\u201d said Belal Salem, PhD student at Ohio University, member of the Sallam Lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur mission is not only to uncover these fossils but also to protect the fossil-rich sites from urban expansion and agricultural encroachment. They are a legacy for generations of Egyptians to come,\u201d Salem added.\u00a0<\/p>\n The name Wadisuchus kassabi combines: Wadi (Arabic for \u201cvalley,\u201d referring to the New Valley discovery site) and Suchus (after the ancient Egyptian crocodile god Sobek).<\/p>\n It also honors Professor Ahmed Kassab (Assiut University) for his lasting influence on Egyptian paleontology.<\/p>\n The findings were pub<\/a>l<\/a>ished in<\/a> The Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society on October 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fossilized remains of a long-snouted crocodile-like reptile have been uncovered in Egypt\u2019s Western Desert. Paleontologists from Mansoura University…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228679,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[97248,4911,29846,97249,97250,90,56,54,55,97251,4407],"class_list":{"0":"post-228678","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-ancient-crocodile","9":"tag-biology","10":"tag-crocodile","11":"tag-dyrosauridae","12":"tag-egypts-western-desert","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom","17":"tag-wadisuchus-kassabi","18":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228678"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228678\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}