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New Crocodile Species Discovered in Sphinx Rocks
Confirmed
In Short: A new species of extinct crocodile, named Herugavialis cairensis, has been discovered in the same limestone used to construct the Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt.
The fossil, described in the journal Royal Society Open Science, is a gavial, known for its long, thin snout.
The Great Sphinx, standing at 66 feet tall, features a human head and a lion’s body, symbolizing a king’s power.
The newly identified crocodile lived approximately 45 million years ago, during the Eocene epoch, in the coastal waters of the Tethys Ocean.
The fossil's snout tip is missing, mirroring the Sphinx's missing nose, leading researchers to name the species after the Egyptian god Heru.
Philip Mannion, a study co-author and evolutionary biologist at University College London, said, “Given this coincidence with the famously missing nose of the Great Sphinx, we decided to name the new crocodile after the Egyptian god Heru.”
The discovery highlights the rich fossil record of crocodiles, which were once widespread but now consist of only two living species in tropical Asia.
The Great Sphinx is believed to have been carved during the Fourth Dynasty (2613–2494 BCE), likely during the reign of Khafre, who built the second pyramid at Giza.
Crocodiles and lions are common motifs in ancient Egyptian art and tombs, symbolizing power and strength.
The limestone formation where the fossil was found also contains remains of fish, sharks, and mammals, indicating a diverse ecosystem.
The Great Sphinx is not the only ancient structure in the area with a missing nose, highlighting the enduring mysteries surrounding these ancient wonders.
What this adds
The fossil's snout tip missing mirrors the Sphinx's missing nose, leading to the naming of the species.
What's confirmed
- The fossil, described in the journal Royal Society Open Science, is a gavial, known for its long, thin snout.
- The Great Sphinx, standing at 66 feet tall, features a human head and a lion’s body, symbolizing a king’s power.
- The newly identified crocodile lived approximately 45 million years ago, during the Eocene epoch, in the coastal waters of the Tethys Ocean.
- The fossil's snout tip is missing, mirroring the Sphinx's missing nose, leading researchers to name the species after the Egyptian god Heru.
- The discovery highlights the rich fossil record of crocodiles, which were once widespread but now consist of only two living species in tropical Asia.
- The Great Sphinx is believed to have been carved during the Fourth Dynasty (2613–2494 BCE), likely during the reign of Khafre, who built the second pyramid at Giza.
- Crocodiles and lions are common motifs in ancient Egyptian art and tombs, symbolizing power and strength.
- The limestone formation where the fossil was found also contains remains of fish, sharks, and mammals, indicating a diverse ecosystem.
- The Great Sphinx is not the only ancient structure in the area with a missing nose, highlighting the enduring mysteries surrounding these ancient wonders.
What's still developing
- They live in freshwater environments on the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with only two living species today: Gavialis gangeticus and Tomistoma schlegelii, aka the ‘false gharial.’ Based on the fossil record, gavials were once found all over the world.
- “However, this diversity fluctuated over time, seemingly corresponding to changes in global temperature and sea level, before the loss of all crocodiles in this region as a result of the drying of the Mediterranean approximately 6 million years ago.” 5,000-year-old skull fractures reveal human sacrifices in Ancient Egypt 300 years of mummies found in ancient Egyptian tomb Chiseled Egyptian princesses knew their way around weapons 2026 Popular Science Home of the Future Awards 39 products that will improve your everyday life.
- 🛍️ Prime Big Deal Days: 50+ actually good deals 🛍️ For 4,500 years, the Great Sphinx in Giza, Egypt, has been shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
- “As we’ve advanced in the last 100 years, we’ve got so many new methodologies we could implement to figure out what kind of species this fossil is,” says Burke, currently at the Sweden Museum of Natural History in Stockholm.
- Most living crocodilians are in either the crocodile or alligator families.