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New fossil crocodile Herugavialis cairensis identified from rock used for the Great Sphinx

Researchers have named a new extinct gavial-type crocodile, Herugavialis cairensis, from a skull found in Egypt's Mokattam Formation limestone, the rock used to build the Great Sphinx. The skull was collected in the 1920s and was previously assigned to a living species.

2 outlets · 0L · 1C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: The National
Image: Daily Mail

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The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2A skull recovered a century ago from Egypt's Mokattam Formation has been identified as a new species of extinct crocodile, named Herugavialis cairensis. Mixed · 2The limestone of the formation is the rock from which the Great Sphinx of Giza was built, and the skull is missing only the tip of its snout. Mixed · 2The study was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Dr Paul Burke of the Swedish Museum of Natural History is lead author and Prof Philip Mannion of University College London is co-lead or co-author.

Mixed · 2The skull was first found in the 1920s and was thought to belong to the false gharial, Tomistoma schlegelii; CT scanning of the inside of the skull let an international team identify differences that led to its reclassification as a new species. Mixed · 2Mannion said the name honours the Egyptian god Heru, who was possibly the inspiration for the Sphinx, and reflects the coincidence that both the Sphinx and the skull lack part of the nose or snout. Mixed · 2Herugavialis belongs to the gavials, long-snouted crocodiles now found only in the Indian subcontinent and South-East Asia, though the fossil record shows them across nearly the whole globe for over 100 million years.

Mixed · 2It shared shallow marine waters with at least two other gavial species. Burke said Mediterranean crocodile diversity fluctuated with global temperature and sea level before all crocodiles in the region were lost when the Mediterranean dried out about six million years ago. Right · 1Burke told the Daily Mail that, given its long thin snout and sharp teeth like the Indian gharial's, Herugavialis probably ate fish, and the formation also preserves many fish fossils. He said the Sphinx itself could contain more such fossils but did not recommend tearing it apart to check. Mixed · 2The outlets give different ages: The National says the formation is 45 million years old and the Sphinx was sculpted about 5,000 years ago, while the Daily Mail says 54 million years and over 4,000 years ago.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Short, straightforward science report on the reclassification of the fossil, with the study's quotes and context on gavial history.
Emphasis
Reclassification, CT scanning, gavial distribution and Mediterranean crocodile decline.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not discuss the diet of the animal or whether the Sphinx itself may contain fossils.
For example
“It was thought the fossil belonged to the Tomistoma schlegelii species of freshwater crocodiles, but it has now been reclassified owing to analytical advances in palaeontology.” — The National

Right1 outlet

Framing
Leads with the Sphinx having a hidden secret, a more dramatic hook, then covers the science with an exclusive Burke quote.
Emphasis
The possibility of fossils inside the Sphinx, the animal's fish diet and its appearance.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention the Sphinx's height or that the fossil sits beside other gavial species in age context beyond a brief note.
Charged language
“The Sphinx's secret”“hidden fossils”“ancient predator”
For example
“The Sphinx's secret: Egyptian monument was built from rocks filled with the hidden fossils of ancient crocodiles, scientists discover” — Daily Mail