Fragmentary fossils of crocodylians from 13 formations, ranging in geologic age from the Paleocene to the late Miocene (including seven Eocene units) in southern California, were discussed by Barboza et al. (2017).
In one of my previous blogs (Feb. 3, 2020)—entitled “How to tell the modern crocodilians apart,” I briefly mentioned the presence of Eocene crocodilian teeth from a single Eocene locality in the San Diego area.
I checked online and discovered a note (with a photograph) about the recent discovery in the San Diego region of partial skeletal remains [including the bony armor that ran along the back of the animal, portions of the front limb and foot, lumbar, and tail vertebrae, and ribs], making it the most complete fossil crocodile known from San Diego. Previous discoveries in the region are restricted to only isolated teeth and bony armor. The animal is believed to belong to the genus Borealosuchus, which is distantly related to modern crocodiles and alligators. (Anonymous).
Two crocodilian teeth from the middle Eocene Santiago Formation in the Oceanside area of San Diego County, southern California. The specimen on the left is 16 mm height; the one the right is 1.7 cm length. Both sides of these minute teeth have fine serrations (especially along the left side of the larger specimen).
REFERENCES CITED
Anonymous. Year (not given). Featured fossil: an ancient crocodile. https//www.sdnhm.org/blog/blog_details/featured-fossil-an-ancient-crocodile/43/
Barboza, M.M., et al. 2017. The age of the Oso Member, Capistrano Formation, and a review of fossil crocodylians from California. PaleoBios 34:1–16. [pdf is free]
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