University of Tokyo-led researchers found an ancient crocodile-like creature that was 19 feet (6 meters) long that roamed China during the Bronze Age about 3,000 years ago. They think that this species was driven to extinction only a few hundred years ago due to human activities, including hunting.

Analysis of the partially fossilized remains of the creature showed that it was killed sometime between 3,000 to 3,400 years ago. They named the new crocodile species Hanyusuchus sinensis, in honor of Han Yu, a Chinese 9th-century poet who tried warning the crocodiles to leave the Han River delta in Guangdong province.

(Photo : Gabriel Kuchta/Getty Images)
A gharial feeds on fish at Prague Zoo on November 10, 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic.

New Species Could Help Understand Evolution of Crocodiles

According to New Scientist, the unknown crocodile-like species most likely lived in China just a few hundred years ago. Chinese researchers first discovered the fossils in the 1960s and 1970s. Still, it was misidentified as a living species and was ignored after, says study co-author Masaya Iijima from Clemson University in South Carolina.

The team studied four of the specimens, which included skulls and other bones, and identified it as a gharial, an animal closely related to crocodiles and alligators but with a thinner snout. Today, only two species of gharials are still alive which some of them live in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and their respective neighboring countries.

But the Hanyusuchus sinensis has long been an extinct gharial in southeast China. Carbon dating revealed that they lived during the Chinese Bronze Age, although historical accounts of the gharial-like animal were last known 500 years ago. Chinese politician and poet Han Yu said to have issued a proclamation instructing animals to leave or be killed after attacking humans and livestock.

The discovery of this new crocodile species clarifies a mystery about crocodilians as it helps scientists make sense of the evolution of crocodiles. Genetic evidence shows that alligators were the first to split from the group, followed by crocodiles and gharials.

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Crocodile-Like Species Were Ritualitically Beheaded

Hanyusuchus sinensis was a top predator that thrived in ancient China despite being hunted by humans. MailOnline reported that both the subfossil gharial specimens they studied showed evidence of vicious attacks and even beheading connected to weapons of that period.

Study co-author Professor Minoru Yoneda from the University of Tokyo's University Museum said that historical evidence of systemic crocodilian purges in the region reveals that humans were responsible for the extinction of the gharial-like species.  They were most likely killed in the 14th and 10th centuries B.C., which means they could not have been victims of Han Yu.

According to Science Daily, Yoneda is interested in these creatures that lived in ancient Chinese civilization. He believes that some of the bones found in many areas of China could be culturally significant. He pointed out that even some Chinese characters and perhaps some myths might have been influenced by this reptile as it was the only one who feasted on humans in ancient times.

The team is actively exploring further about this species and hopes to extract genetic material from some soft tissue preserved in the fossils. By doing so, they could get a more accurate picture of how Hanyusuchus sinensis could fit into the crocodilian family tree.

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