12 Oct, 2023 @ 14:22
1 min read

Fossil of last ever crocodile to live in Europe some 4.5 MILLION years ago is found in Spain’s Andalucia

EUROPE’s last ever crocodile has been discovered by paleontologists near Granada. 

Paleontologists at the site, in Baza, Granada, have found a 4.5 million year old crocodile fossil amongst mammoths and small vertebrates.

Crocodile fossil found in Baza Spain
The crocodile fossil is believed to be 4.5 million years old. Photo: Rae Wallis/Unsplash

Martinez Navarro, the paleontologist leading the excavation told Viruji: “It is a species of crocodile of African origin that reached the Iberian Peninsula by crossing the sea just before the Mediterranean dried up during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, just over 6 million years ago”.

The dig, which finished this Sunday, has also unearthed many large fossils in excellent conditions including many mammoths. 

The site, known as Baza-1, was discovered in 1996 but work didn’t start until four years later, when 2000 fossils were recovered. 

The seventh dig held at the site, the project was led by academics from the University of Malaga Sergio Ros-Montoya, Rovira i Virgili University and The Catalan Institute for Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution.

The excavation will allow experts to understand the environment at that time, which they believe was a tropical climate characterised by high temperatures and rainfall. 

Paleontologists from Italy, Spain, Ethiopia and Greece took part in the dig and an eighth excavation is expected in the coming years. 

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Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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