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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Donna Lu Assistant editor, climate, environment and science

55m-year-old eggshells unearthed in Queensland may be older relative of infamous ‘drop crocs’

Scientists excavating site in Murgon
The eggshells were collected throughout the 1990s at Murgon, approximately 270km north-west of Brisbane, but only recently analysed. Photograph: Mina Bassarova

Scientists have identified what are believed to be the oldest crocodilian eggshells ever found in Australia, unearthed in a grazier’s back yard in regional Queensland.

The 55m-year-old eggshells – found at a fossil deposit in Murgon, approximately 270km north-west of Brisbane – likely belong to a group of extinct crocodiles known as mekosuchines, new research suggests.

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