Early crocodile fossil from Egypt suggests African origin of ship’s crocs

In the Egyptian Western Desert, where red sandstones and green shales rise above the barren plains of the Kharga Oasis, paleontologists have uncovered a fossil that fundamentally reshapes our understanding of crocodile evolution.

New findings, published in Zoological Journal of the Linn Societyled by a team of Egyptian experts. The newly described species, Vadisochus kasabi, lived about 80 to 80 million years ago and is now recognized as the earliest known member of the Drososauridae, a group of ancient crocodiles that were distinctly different from their modern relatives.

Unlike today’s crocodiles, dyrosaurids thrived in coastal and marine environments, equipped with elongated snouts and slender, needle-sharp teeth ideal for seizing slippery prey such as fish and turtles. Their remarkable survival and dispersal after the extinction of the dinosaurs makes them important for understanding how reptiles adapted and diversified when global ecosystems collapsed.

The name Wadisuchos Kasabi combines the Egyptian landscape and heritage – wadi (“Wadi,” Arabic for “valley”) for the new valley, where it was discovered, and Souchus for the ancient crocodile god Sobak. This species has also honored Professor Ahmed Kassab (ASSIUT University), whose work in Egyptian paleontology has inspired new species.

Professor Hisham Salim, an Egyptian vertebrate specialist at Mansoura University and senior author of the study, said, “The fossils of Vadisochos kasabi were excavated near the excavator near Khasra and Baris. Advanced.”

“High-resolution CT scans and 3D surface models enabled us to reveal extraordinary anatomical details,” Salem added.

Sara Saber, assistant lecturer at Assiut University, member of the Sallam Lab team at MUVP, and lead author of the study, said, “Wadisuchus kassabi, was a 3.5-4-meter-long crocodile-like reptile with a very long snout and tall, sharp teeth.

“It differed from other pterosaurs in having four teeth in front of the snout instead of the primitive five, nostrils raised above the snout for surface breathing, and a deep notch at the tip of the snout meeting the jaw.

Saber added, “Beyond the distinctive features of Vadisochus, it plays an important role in understanding the origin of the droidosaur group. The new species overturns the evidence for an African origin of the droidosauridae and suggests an earlier tradition (previously thought to be 72–66 million years ago).”

Belal Saleem, Ph.D. student at Ohio University, member of the Salem Lab, curator of fossil reptiles and birds at the MUVP, and faculty member at Boonha University, said, “This discovery indicates that Africa was the cradle of dyrosaurid evolution, which later spread across the globe.

Salim continued, “The importance of Vadisochus lies not only in what it reveals about the evolutionary history of this remarkable group of crocodilians – although that is a huge achievement. But it reminds us: Egypt’s Western Desert still holds treasures that preserve the secrets of our planet’s deep past.”

“Our mission is not only to uncover these fossils, but also to protect fossil-rich sites from urban expansion and agricultural encroachment. They are a legacy for future generations of Egyptians.”