\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bizarre idea. But some of them appear to have been terrestrial hunters in the forests,\u201d said Archer, a professor at the University of New South Wales in Sydney who took part in the study.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey were perhaps hunting like leopards \u2014 dropping out of trees on any unsuspecting thing they fancied for dinner,\u201d \ufeffhe said in a statement.\n <\/p>\n
\n A team of international scientists, led by Institut Catal\u00e0 de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont in Barcelona, dug up the fossils from a rancher\u2019s backyard in southeast Queensland and studied them. They reported their findings Tuesday in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n The ancient crocodile eggshells are helping scientists to understand the anatomy of these reptiles, as well as their reproduction patterns and adaptability, the study\u2019s lead author, Xavier Panad\u00e8s i Blas, said.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThey preserve microstructural and geochemical signals that tell us not only what kinds of animals laid them, but also where they nested and how they bred,\u201d he said in the statement.\n <\/p>\n \n Mekosuchine crocs are believed to have become extinct in Australia around 3,000 years ago. They may have lost much of their inland habitat due to encroaching dryland, a situation compounded by growing competition with other predators and the dwindling amount of prey, said co-author Michael Stein, a research associate at the University of New South Wales.\n <\/p>\n \n The exact location of the discovery is a small town called Murgon, about three and a half hours\u2019 drive from Brisbane, the capital of Queensland.\n <\/p>\n \n Archer said he and his colleagues had been excavating there since 1983, and he could still recall how it all began.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cUNSW colleague Henk Godhelp and I drove to Murgon, parked the car on the side of the road, grabbed our shovels, knocked on the door and asked if we could dig up their backyard,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n The residents \u201cgrinned and said \u2018of course\u2019\u201d after hearing their homes were sitting on some prehistoric treasures, Archer recalled.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAnd, quite clearly, from the many fascinating animals that we\u2019ve already found in this deposit since 1983, we know that with more digging there will be a lot more surprises to come,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image002-20251112160317098.jpg\")
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