A new species of large prehistoric croc that roamed south-east Queensland’s waterways millions of years ago has been documented by University of Queensland researchers. One of the largest crocs to have ever inhabited the earth, the species has been named Gunggamarandu maunala. Says researcher Jorgo Ristevski, “It’s difficult to estimate the exact overall size of Gunggamarandu since all we have is the back of the skull — but we estimate the skull would have been at least 80 centimetres long and, based on comparisons with living crocs, this indicates a total body length of around seven metres. This suggests Gunggamarandu maunala was on par with the largest Indo-Pacific crocs — a Crocodylus porosus) recorded.” The exact age of the fossil is uncertain, but it’s probably between two and five million years old. The name, Gunggamarandu means ‘river boss’.
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