Journal article
Lucy's peril: A Pliocene crocodile from the Hadar Formation, north-eastern Ethiopia
Journal of systematic palaeontology, Vol.24(1), 2614954
01/02/2026
DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2026.2614954
Abstract
We herein describe a new crocodile, Crocodylus lucivenator sp. nov., from palaeoanthropological sites in the Pliocene Hadar Formation in north-eastern Ethiopia. It shares derived features and plesiomorphic states with two Pleistocene species of Crocodylus from East Africa. Conversely, C. lucivenator bears a midline boss on the dorsal surface of the rostrum similar to those of modern Neotropical crocodiles and late Miocene crocodiles from Libya and Kenya. A boss is also present on Pliocene specimens from Kanapoi in Kenya previously referred to C. thorbjarnarsoni. Some C. lucivenator also have a more substantial prenarial rostrum than other Palaeoafrican Crocodylus, though not to the same extent as in extant Crocodylus, and its expression is variable. Phylogenetic analysis supports a close relationship between C. lucivenator, Kanapoi Crocodylus, C. anthropophagus, C. thorbjarnarsoni, and fossils from the Turkana Basin previously misreferred to C. checchiai. A close relationship with Neoafrican Crocodylus is rejected, reinforcing a comparatively recent arrival for Neoafrican Crocodylus in East Africa. Crocodylus lucivenator and the Kanapoi form are very similar, but an exclusive relationship is not unambiguously supported in our analysis. The phylogenetic placement of the Palaeoafrican clade depends on how one regards the prenarial rostrum, and positions outside crown Crocodylus or close to the Neotropical clade can be equally optimal. One mandible preserves pathological structures consistent with injuries sustained during intraspecific combat. Crocodylus lucivenator appears to have been the only crocodylian in the Hadar Formation, while coeval deposits in the Turkana Basin preserve as many as four species. The reason for this disparity is unclear.https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:27E5A2F8-E240-44F3-B4DF-8CF35EA5F6B6
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Lucy's peril: A Pliocene crocodile from the Hadar Formation, north-eastern Ethiopia
- Creators
- Christopher A. Brochu - University of IowaStephanie K. Drumheller - University of Tennessee at KnoxvilleChristopher Campisano - Institute of Human GeneticsGetahun Tekle - Ethiopian Heritage Author, Addis Ababa Arada, EthiopiaTomas Getachew - Ethiopian Heritage Author, Addis Ababa Arada, EthiopiaJason J. Head - University of CambridgeNathan C. Platt - University of IowaDaniel Leaphart - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of systematic palaeontology, Vol.24(1), 2614954
- DOI
- 10.1080/14772019.2026.2614954
- ISSN
- 1477-2019
- eISSN
- 1478-0941
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 40
- Grant note
- University of Iowa Office of International Programs Leakey Foundation DEB 0444133 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) NE/W007576/1 / Natural Environmental Research Council; UK Research & Innovation (UKRI); Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 01/02/2026
- Academic Unit
- School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability; University College Courses
- Record Identifier
- 9985147182502771
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