Australia's oldest crocodylian eggshell : insights into the reproductive paleoecology of mekosuchines
Panadès, Xavier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Geologia)
Galobart, Àngel (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)
Archer, Michael (University of New South Wales)
Stein, Michael (University of New South Wales)
Hand, Suzanne (University of New South Wales)
Sellés, Albert G. (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Data:	2025
Resum:	Alongside large madtsoiid snakes, the largest known lizards, thylacoleonid marsupials and a range of other terrestrial carnivores, the now extinct mekosuchine crocodylians were significant predators during most of the Cenozoic in Australia. Although the skeletal fossil record for mekosuchines extends from the lower Eocene through the Quaternary, fossil evidence relating to their reproductive biology (e. g. , eggshells, eggs, clutches, or nests) has been reported but not studied. Here, we describe Australia's oldest crocodylian eggshell from the purple layer of the lower Eocene Tingamarra Local Fauna of the Oakdale Sandstone of Murgon, south-eastern Queensland, Australia. The eggshells belong to a new crocodylian eggshell type which differs structurally from all other crocodylomorph eggshells. Given the abundance in the Tingamarra deposits of specimens representing two mekosuchine crocodylians, both referable to species of Kambara and with no other crocodylians being present in this deposit, it is parsimonious to presume that these eggshells were produced by one or both of these mekosuchine species. A preliminary taphonomic analysis of the oological remains sheds light on aspects of the reproductive behavior of these mekosuchines.
Drets:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Llengua:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Publicat a:	Journal of vertebrate paleontology, (November 2025) , art. e2560010, ISSN 1937-2809

DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2025.2560010

Disponible a partir de: 2026-11-30 Postprint

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