ANOTHER part of the evolution jigsaw has been discovered – as scientists help complete the ancient crocodile family tree.
The discovery is said to explain how some prehistoric reptiles branched off to become the ancestors of today's whales and dolphins.
It is based on examinations of a fossil unearthed on a Hungarian mountain range more than 20 years ago.
The Jurassic-era artefact, found in 1996, had been held in a Budapest museum store until a team of palaeontologists took a fresh look.
The experts, including an Edinburgh University researcher, discovered that the old bone is part of a "new species" previously unknown to science – and helps fill in another gap in our knowledge of the distant past.
Dr Mark Young, of Edinburgh University’s School of GeoSciences, who was involved in the study, said: “This fossil provides a unique insight into how crocodiles began evolving into dolphin and killer whale-like forms more than 180 million years ago.
"The presence of both bony armour and a tail fin highlights the remarkable diversity of Jurassic-era crocodiles.”
The "new" animal has been named Magyarosuchus fitosi in honour of Attila Fitos, the amateur collector who discovered the specimen.
It includes a large portion of backbone of what was one of the largest coastal predators of the Jurassic period.
At this time, some crocodiles had bony armour on their backs and bellies, with limbs adapted for walking on land. Meanwhile, another group with tail fins and flippers lacked protective elements.
However, the freshly identified animal had characteristics of both groups – armour and a tail fin – suggesting that it is a missing link between the groups.
The full results have now been published in the scientific journal PeerJ.
The publication comes shortly after the release of a new trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the latest instalment in the groundbreaking dinosaur movie franchise.
Starring US actors Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, the release is the second part of a trilogy which picked up several years after the conclusion of the original Jurassic Park three-part series.
It captured imaginations thanks to its pioneering use of computer animation.
The new film will be released in the UK on June 6, two weeks ahead of the US.
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