Great Sphinx of Giza May Be Built From Rocks Containing Ancient Crocodile Fossils, Scientists Discover
Researchers identified a new species of extinct crocodile, Herugavialis cairensis, in the same limestone quarried for the monument over 4,000 years ago.
Scientists have discovered that the Great Sphinx of Giza may be constructed from rocks containing the fossilized remains of an ancient crocodile species. New research identified a previously unknown extinct crocodile, named Herugavialis cairensis, in the 54-million-year-old rocks of Egypt's Mokattam Formation. These are the same limestone rocks that were quarried over 4,000 years ago to build the iconic monument.
Lead author Dr. Paul Burke of the Swedish Museum of Natural History noted the possibility that the Sphinx itself might contain fossils of these extinct creatures. "It could! It was built from the same rocks where Herugavialis was found, so who knows. What I don’t recommend is tearing apart the Sphinx to see if there is!" he told the Daily Mail.
Co-author Professor Philip Mannion of University College London explained that the new crocodile species was named Herugavialis cairensis after the ancient Egyptian god Heru, believed by some to be depicted by the Sphinx, partly due to a curious coincidence. "Given this coincidence with the famously missing nose of the Great Sphinx, we decided to name the new crocodile after the Egyptian god Heru," Mannion stated. The fossilized skull of Herugavialis is also missing the tip of its snout, mirroring the Sphinx's missing nose.
Herugavialis belongs to the gavial family, a group of crocodiles characterized by long, slender snouts. Today, only two species of gavials remain, found in freshwater environments in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The fossilized skull of Herugavialis was initially discovered in the 1920s but was mistakenly identified as belonging to the extant false gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii). However, modern paleontological techniques, including CT scanning, allowed researchers to identify distinct differences, confirming it as a new, extinct species. The findings were published in Royal Society Open Science.
Dr. Burke described Herugavialis as having a long, thin snout with sharp, pointed teeth, suggesting it likely fed on fish, similar to the extant Indian gharial. The presence of numerous fish fossils in the Mokattam Formation supports this theory. While gavials have disappeared from the Mediterranean, fossil records indicate they were once widespread globally for over 100 million years, inhabiting shallow marine environments. Scientists believe Herugavialis may have coexisted with at least two other long-snouted gavial species in the region. The diversity of crocodiles in the Mediterranean fluctuated over millions of years, likely influenced by changes in global temperature and sea levels, before their extinction in the region approximately six million years ago.