Ancient crocodile fossil challenges Europe’s landmass history

Jenn Hoskins
26th January, 2026

Ancient crocodile fossil challenges Europe’s landmass history

This partial skull of Doratodon carcharidens, shown in dorsal (a, b) and ventral (c, d) views, provides the critical anatomical evidence to reclassify the species as a Laurasian paralligatorid, thereby challenging the "Eurogondwana" hypothesis that was based on its supposed Gondwanan ancestry.

Image adapted from: Szegszárdi et al. / CC BY (Source)

Key Findings

  • A study in Europe challenged the idea that the continent remained connected to Africa for a long time after the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart
  • Detailed analysis of a crocodyliform fossil, Doratodon carcharidens, revealed it’s more closely related to species from North America and Asia, not Africa
  • Similarities between Doratodon and African species are likely due to them evolving similar features independently in similar environments, not shared ancestry
The question of how dinosaurs and other creatures moved between landmasses during the Cretaceous Period has long been a topic of debate. A central idea has been the “Eurogondwana” hypothesis – the notion that Europe remained connected to Africa for a significant period after the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, allowing for a faunal interchange between the two regions. This concept hinges on the presence of certain fossils in Europe that appear similar to those found in Gondwana, the southern landmass comprised of what is now Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and India. However, recent research from ELTE Eötvös Loránd University and Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen[1] challenges this idea, suggesting a more straightforward division between Laurasia (North America, Europe, and Asia) and Gondwana occurred earlier than previously thought. The study focused on Doratodon carcharidens, a crocodyliform – an ancient relative of modern crocodiles – discovered in Late Cretaceous deposits in Europe. This species has been a key piece of evidence for Eurogondwana, as it was believed to be closely related to crocodyliforms found in Gondwana. However, Doratodon fossils have historically been incomplete, making it difficult to accurately determine its evolutionary relationships. The researchers described a new, more complete skull of Doratodon, allowing for a more detailed analysis of its anatomy. Using this new material, the team performed a phylogenetic analysis – a method for determining evolutionary relationships by comparing anatomical features. Surprisingly, the analysis placed Doratodon not within the Gondwanan crocodyliforms, but firmly within the Laurasian clade Paralligatoridae. This suggests that the similarities between Doratodon and Gondwanan species are not due to shared ancestry, but rather a case of ecomorphological convergence – where unrelated species independently evolve similar features because they occupy similar ecological niches. For example, both Doratodon and Gondwanan species may have developed similar tooth shapes for catching similar prey. This finding has significant implications for understanding dinosaur distribution. The researchers extended their analysis to other problematic species previously cited as evidence for Gondwanan dispersal into Europe, such as Ogresuchus furatus, and found similar inconsistencies in their phylogenetic placement. They concluded that many of these “immigrant” fossils are based on limited evidence and questionable evolutionary relationships. The study highlights the challenges of reconstructing ancient biogeography based on incomplete fossil records[2]. The fossil record is “patchy”, meaning fossils are rarely found, and those that are often represent only fragments of the animal. This can lead to inaccurate interpretations of evolutionary relationships and biogeographic patterns. The research team suggests that what appeared to be Gondwanan dispersers may actually be vicariant relicts – populations that became isolated due to the breakup of Pangaea and evolved independently in Europe. This new analysis supports a scenario where the initial split between Laurasia and Gondwana was the primary driver of crocodyliform divergence, rather than a prolonged connection between Europe and Africa. This aligns with findings that many early theropod clades had more cosmopolitan distributions than previously assumed[2], but also suggests that the degree of interchange between the continents may have been limited. The discovery of spinosaurids in Australia[2] and the proposed Eurogondwanan fauna[3] are interesting cases, but the current study casts doubt on the broader pattern of faunal exchange suggested by these discoveries. Furthermore, the small size of hadrosaurids in North Africa, potentially due to competition with titanosaurs[4], illustrates the complex interplay of factors influencing dinosaur distribution and evolution on isolated landmasses. The researchers emphasize the need for more complete fossil evidence and rigorous phylogenetic analyses to accurately reconstruct ancient biogeographic patterns. The study doesn't completely rule out some level of exchange between Europe and Africa, but it argues that the evidence for a long-lasting “Eurogondwana” connection is lacking.

EcologyEvolution

References

Main Study

1) Cretaceous crocodyliform reconciles conflicting evidence on the Mesozoic paleogeography of Europe during the Gondwana-Laurasia split

Published 22nd January, 2026

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-28504-6

Related Studies

2) First spinosaurid dinosaur from Australia and the cosmopolitanism of Cretaceous dinosaur faunas.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2011.0466

3) A new global palaeobiogeographical model for the late Mesozoic and early Tertiary.

https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syr115

4) A new small duckbilled dinosaur (Hadrosauridae: Lambeosaurinae) from Morocco and dinosaur diversity in the late Maastrichtian of North Africa.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-53447-9


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