Researchers have described a previously unknown crocodile species that lived alongside early human ancestors in Ethiopia more than 3 million years ago. The animal, formally named Crocodylus lucivenator, was likely the top predator in its ecosystem.
The crocodile measured 12 to 15 feet long and weighed up to 1,300 pounds. It inhabited rivers and lakes in the Hadar region during the same period as Australopithecus afarensis, the species that includes the famous fossil Lucy.
University of Iowa professor Christopher Brochu, the study's lead author, said the reptile posed the greatest threat to hominins at the time. "It was the largest predator in that ecosystem, more so than lions and hyenas," he noted.
Fossils analyzed for the research include skulls and jaw fragments recovered from the Hadar Formation. The species featured a distinctive hump on its snout and an elongated nose, traits that set it apart from other crocodiles of the era.
The findings appear in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. Co-authors include researchers from the University of Tennessee, Arizona State University, the National Museum of Ethiopia, and the University of Cambridge.