Recently, paleontologists unveiled the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years that was discovered in a Peruvian desert.
- The fossil of the gharial — or fish-eating — crocodile was discovered in late 2023 in perfect condition in Peru’s Ocucaje desert, around 350 kilometres (190 miles) south of the capital Lima.
- The skull and jaws of these specimens differed from that of today’s crocodiles and alligators.
- Peru’s Ocucaje desert is rich in fossils, such as four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period — between 5 and 23 million years ago — that were previously discovered there.
