Overview
- An international team led by the Institut Català de Paleontologia with UNSW researchers reports Australia’s oldest crocodilian eggshells from the Murgon (Tingamarra) deposit in regional Queensland.
- The study analyzes 12 fossil fragments collected in the 1990s from a grazier’s backyard and is published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
- The shells are attributed to mekosuchine crocodiles, named Wakkaoolithus godthelpi, with researchers suggesting a likely link to the early genus Kambara.
- Optical and electron microscopy show microstructures consistent with nesting on a lake margin, indicating reproductive strategies suited to fluctuating conditions.
- Researchers highlight that mekosuchines occupied unusual ecological roles, with reports of semi‑arboreal 'drop crocs,' and note modern saltwater and freshwater crocodiles arrived in Australia about 3.8 million years ago.