Paleontologists unearth remains of 7 ancient crocodile species in Peru

Crikey.

Paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History and the National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru, found remains from an astonishing seven ancient crocodile species during a dig in northeastern Peru, near Iquitos. Three of the species are newly identified, and the crocodiles are estimated to have lived 13 million years ago.

In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the scientists explain that the find marks the largest number of crocodile species to cohabit one area in all of Earth's history. The crocodile fossils offer unprecedented insight about the region's ecosystem before the Amazon river was formed, about 10.5 million years ago.

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The researchers note that the crocodiles lived at the peak of ancient wetlands' size, and the various crocodile species could have survived thanks to a variety of available food sources. For example, the Gnatusuchus pebasensis species had rounded teeth and a snout to gather clams from swamp bottoms, while other species had longer snouts to catch swimming fish.

The scientists believe the Amazon river system caused a downturn in mollusk populations, which caused crocodile species like Gnatusuchus to go extinct. Other species with "broader palates," meanwhile, were able to survive, the researchers noted.