約１２００万年前のワニの化石公開 ペルー

【リマＡＦＰ＝時事】ペルーで２７日、同国の砂漠で発見された１０００万～１２００万年前の海生ワニの幼体の化石が公開された。（写真は、ペルー・リマで公開された、１０００万～１２００万年前の海生ワニの幼体の化石）
　英名「ｆｉｓｈ－ｅａｔｉｎｇ ｃｒｏｃｏｄｉｌｅ（魚を食べるワニ）」で、ガビアルと呼ばれるワニの化石は、全長約３メートル。２０２３年末、首都リマの南方約３５０キロにあるオクカヘ砂漠で完璧な状態で発見された。
　脊椎動物古生物学者で、化石の復元を主導したマリオ・ガマラ氏は会見で、「この種の幼体を発見したのは初めてだ」と述べ、「つまり、成長しきる前に死んだということになる」と説明した。
　頭蓋骨と顎は、現代のワニとは異なっていると指摘。
　「細長い口吻（こうふん）を持ち、もっぱら魚を主食としていた」とし、「現存する近縁種はインドガビアルと考えられる」と付け加えた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/11/28-19:00）

Paleontologists unveiled on Wednesday the fossil of a young marine crocodile dating back 10 to 12 million years that was discovered in a Peruvian desert.
The fossil of the gharial -- or fish-eating -- crocodile, around three meters long (nearly 10 feet), was discovered late 2023 in perfect condition in Peru's Ocucaje desert, around 350 kilometers (190 miles) south of the capital Lima.
This is the first time we found a juvenile of this species, that is to say, it had not reached its maximum size yet. It died before that, vertebrate paleontologist Mario Gamarra told a news conference.
The skull and jaws of these specimens differed from that of today's crocodiles and alligators, according to Gamarra, who headed the reconstruction of the fossil.
They had an elongated snout and their diet was entirely piscivorous, feeding on fish, said Gamarra.
The closest current relative to this crocodile would be the Indian gharial, he added.
The discovery was made jointly by Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute and the La Union school.
Peru's Ocucaje desert is rich in fossils, such as four-legged dwarf whales, dolphins, sharks and other species from the Miocene period -- between 5 and 23 million years ago -- that were previously discovered there.