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The Pleistocene-Holocene distribution of Unique Crocodilians (Crocodilia) Worldwide
Joseph Fossil posted a topic in General Fossil Discussion
The Crocodilians (Crocodilia) are a resilient group of reptiles, with the order originating around the Late Cretaceous 95 million years ago and still very prevalent globally in many aquatic ecosystems. But it was not too long ago that this group was even more diverse. Though way more diverse between the Paleocene-Pilocene eras between 64-2 Million years ago, the Crocodylomorpha (mainly Crocodillians) were still fairly diverse during the Pleistocene-Early Holocene eras - more diverse than they are today. This lack of diversity today is mainly due to the climate change that occurred between the Pleistocene and Holocene and (Unfortunately) overexploitation by Humans. Human induced Climate change since the Industrial Revolution and direct overexploitation by people still plagues many crocodilians today. It is only because of global Conservation efforts that some of the most endangered crocodilians today have a fighting chance at survival. I've decided to make a quick list of the unique crocodilians of the Pleistocene-Early(to part late) Holocene which can hopefully demonstrate the diversity of these magnificent animals during this time. Let me know if I forgot any examples. Australia - Quinkana fortirostrum (Pliocene-Pleistocene) Possible Unnamed Quinkana sp. (Possibly Q.fortirostrum) (Queensland Museum Specimen QM F57032) (Note: Quinkana could have grown to between 10-20 feet in length) Paludirex vincenti (Pliocene-Pleistocene 5.3-0.012 years ago) (Note: Plaudirex species could grow up to 4 meters (13 feet) in length) Paludirex gracilis (Pliocene-Pleistocene 5.3-0.012 years ago) (Note: Plaudirex species could grow up to 4 meters (13 feet) in length) Gunggamarandu manunala (Pliocene-Pleistocene 5-2 Million years ago) (Note: Gunggamarandu manunala could have grown up to 7 meters (23 feet) in length) Japan - Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis (Pleistocene 0.8-0.1 years ago) (Note: Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis could have grown up to 7.7 meters (25 feet) in length) Taiwan - Unnamed Toyotamaphimeia sp. (Pleistocene 0.8-0.1 years ago) China - Hanyusuchus sinensis (Early-Late Holocene (up to the 1400s A.D. around 600 years ago)) (Note: Hanyusuchus sinensis could grow up to 6 meters (19 feet) in length) Africa - Euthecodon brumpti (Pilocene-Early Pleistocene 3.5-0.781 Thousand years ago) (Note: Euthecodon brumpti could grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) in length) Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni (Pliocene to Pleistocene 5.3-1.8 Million years ago) (Note: Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni could grow up to 7.6 meters (25 feet) in length) Crocodylus anthropophagus (Pleistocene 1.845-1.839 Million years ago) (Note: Crocodylus anthropophagus could grow up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) in length) Madagascar - Voay robustus (Late Pleistocene-Holocene 0.1-0.01 years ago) (Note: Voay robust could grow up to 5 meters (16.4 feet) in length) Thailand - Gavialis bengawanicus (Early-Middle Pleistocene) Indonesia - Gavialis bengawanicus (Early-Middle Pleistocene) New Caleodonia - Mekosuchus inexpectatus (Holocene 0.012-0.004 years ago) (Note: Mekosuchus species could grow up to 2 meters (6 feet) in length) Fiji - Volia athollandersoni (Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene) (Note: Volia athollandersoni could grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length) Vanuatu - Mekosuchus kalpokasi (Holocene 0.012-0.003 years ago) (Note: Mekosuchus species could grow up to 2 meters (6 feet) in length) New Guinea - Murua gharial (Ikanogavialis papuensis) (Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene) What do you guys think?-
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I wanted to vent about this somewhere and my wife is tired of hearing it, so here it is. LOL. This is not about the guy who recently made the news for being attacked by a gator while diving for meg teeth in the Myakka river. That has been all over the news feeds and it's been discussed in this forum in another thread. This is about alligators and Floridians in general. In the news today was another case of a person walking their dog near the water's edge during the summer in Florida. In this case, an alligator struck from the pond's edge and bit the woman - it was probably trying to attack her dog. She was bitten on the leg and is expected to make a full recovery. She was (un)lucky. A couple months back it was an older gentleman doing the same thing - a gator grabbed his dog and he fought the gator off to save his dog. It made national news and went viral. These cases happen almost every summer in Florida and there seems to be an uptick since the pandemic started. In the majority of these cases, the state calls in private contractor hunters to remove/kill the alligator. Also, in the majority of these cases, the gator was not being aggressive, it was doing what gators do. People should know better than to walk a dog near the edge of a pond or lake in Florida, especially during the summer, and especially at dusk/dawn. To walk your dog under such circumstances borders on negligence or willfull ignorance. It's dangerous and should be obvious to any reasonable person. I feel badly for the alligator honestly. It's not like he wandered into somebody's swimming pool and tried to snatch their dog or child. The dog-walker went to the gator's home and was dangling bait (the dog) around like they were trolling for gators. The alligator should not be killed for this. In the most recent case the retention pond was known to have gators and there was signage warning of such. In a case like this, the gator should be humanely removed and moved to an alternate location - like an undeveloped swamp in a remote area. Alligators are fascinating animals. They are the closest thing to a dinosaur we will ever get to see in North America. They are beautiful creatures and their behavior is very predictable. And everyone in Florida should be educated about them to prevent these tragic cases were people, pets, and alligators are killed needlessly. For those in the back row : If it's Florida, if it's summer, if it's near a body of water, then it's not a good place to walk your dog. Period. Ok folks, sorry for the rant. I had to get that out. Now here is a picture of a Peace River dinosaur :
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What’s beneath the black water? Divers reveal the secrets of the Waccamaw River. by Audrey Hudson, Sun News, Myrtle Beach, August 1, 2017 http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article164796732.html Yours, Paul H.
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