This crocodile is extinct in modern day lake Turkana however it still survives in central and west Africa today and is known as the African Slender-snouted Crocodile. A small extant relict population of Cataphractus exists in Lake Tanganyika. It is a medium sized crocodile growing to some 3 to 4 meters in length, and probably had a diet of fish, snakes and amphibians. The first record of cataphractus in the Turkana Basin is from the Lower Nawata member of Lothagam, dated to approximately 7 million years. At this time there were some four genera and five species of crocodile at Lake Turkana. Today, all but the Nile crocodile have disappeared from this region. Crocodylus cataphractus has a very distinctive upturned nose and a broad flat region just anterior (in front of) to the eyes.
Crocodylus cataphractus
KNMER 929 Age approx. 1.90 Million Years
Digital Capture: N/A Slender-snouted crocodile 0 Comments Order: Crocodylia Family: Crocodylidae Genus: Crocodylus Species: cataphractus Element: Cranium Locality: East Turkana Year of Discovery: 1971 Other Fossils to View |