The fossil is Turnersuchus hingleyae, an Early Jurassic member of the crocodile-line group Thalattosuchia—not a modern crocodile or a proven direct ancestor of one. Found on England’s Jurassic Coast, its diagnostic skull and other skeletal remains make it the earliest thalattosuchian currently known from diagnostic material.
What animal was found?
Turnersuchus hingleyae was a crocodylomorph: part of the broader evolutionary group that includes crocodiles and their extinct relatives. More specifically, it belonged to Thalattosuchia, an extinct group of crocodile-line reptiles. Calling it a crocodile’s “cousin” is a useful shorthand, but the evidence does not show that it was a modern crocodile or a direct ancestor of one.
The scientific paper describes the animal as a thalattosuchian and reports that its analyses place it as the earliest diverging member of that group, sister to the later-diverging Teleosauroidea and Metriorhynchoidea. That is a result of evolutionary relationship analyses, not a claim that the fossil reveals a single, settled route from this animal to living crocodiles. Read the study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
When and where did it live?
The fossil comes from the early Pliensbachian Belemnite Marl Member of the Charmouth Mudstone Formation in Dorset, England. The formal geological placement identifies it as Early Jurassic; Taylor & Francis describes it for general readers as about 185 million years old. The study gives the stratigraphic details, while the publisher’s account summarizes the find.
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Fossil hunters Paul Turner and Lizzie Hingley discovered the material in 2017 and donated it to Lyme Regis Museum. The species name, hingleyae, honors Hingley and Turner. The find is part of the rich fossil record of the Jurassic Coast, but the evidence cited here does not establish current museum display or visitor arrangements.
What did the fossil preserve?
The remains are partially articulated, meaning some bones were found connected or close to their original positions. The study records cranial (skull), mandibular (lower jaw), axial (spine and related skeleton), and appendicular (limb) elements. Taylor & Francis describes the fossil more simply as including parts of the head, backbone, and limbs.
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That combination matters because diagnostic bones allow researchers to identify the animal and compare its anatomy with other crocodylomorphs. It offers evidence for classification and relationships, not a complete picture of the animal’s life, behavior, or entire evolutionary history.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the discovery tell scientists about thalattosuchians?
The authors identify Turnersuchus as the earliest thalattosuchian yet known from diagnostic material. In their phylogenetic analyses, it branches earliest among thalattosuchians tested and is recovered as sister to Teleosauroidea plus Metriorhynchoidea. The fossil therefore helps constrain the group’s early history and supplies anatomical evidence relevant to debate over thalattosuchian relationships.
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The age of this particular fossil is not the same as the date when the thalattosuchian lineage first split from other crocodylomorphs. The paper’s Bayesian tip-dating analyses model that deeper divergence as Rhaetian or Sinemurian depending on the evolutionary tree used, with uncertainty intervals stretching from the Norian to the Pliensbachian. Those are model-based estimates, not a precise date established by this one fossil. The authors also note ongoing uncertainty in thalattosuchian phylogeny.
How was it discovered?
Turner and Hingley found the fossil in 2017 in Dorset and gave it to Lyme Regis Museum. The museum provides local fossil and Mary Anning context and information about fossil walks; check its own site for current collections and visitor details: Lyme Regis Museum. For the region’s geological heritage, see the IUGS Jurassic Coast: Lyme Regis profile.
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