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129,000 years of crocodiles: what we know about Australasia’s ancient apex predators

The Conversation · · 816 words · By Jorgo Ristevski; Julien Louys; Nicole Boivin
Anthropocene and Extinction Paleontology Indigenous Knowledge

The article discusses a review of crocodylian remains from the last 129,000 years in Australasia, highlighting the coexistence of modern crocodiles and the extinct mekosuchines. It examines the different outcomes for these species on the Australian mainland versus Pacific islands and suggests these findings provide lessons for modern conservation.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/129-000-years-of-crocodiles-what-we-know-about-austr…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

15 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 5
schedule Pending 5
check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 1
info
“Modern crocodiles are members of the genus Crocodyls”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of dictionary definitions of the word 'modern' and unrelated retail websites. No biological or taxonomic evidence regarding the genus Crocodylus was provided in the search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — About Our Brands B.M.E.C. fashiontabulous GB+ genevieve boutique genevieve paris design giovani di venezia G.V.X. modern art modern metals Modern Plastics I Modern Plastics II modern times modz modzfl…
https://www.modernoptical.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — May 11, 2026 · The meaning of MODERN is of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past : contemporary. How to use modern in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/modern
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Shop AllModern for the best of modern in every style, smartly priced and delivered fast + free.
https://www.allmodern.com/
verified
“an entirely different group of crocodylians known as mekosuchines once dominated the region [Australasia]”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states that Mekosuchinae is an extinct clade of crocodilians from the Cenozoic of Australasia and that they represented the dominant group of crocodilians in the region during most of the Cenozoic.
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https://mangasbl.com/manga/
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web search NEUTRAL — Yupmanga es tu rincon para leer manga en espanol sin publicidad, ni en la web ni dentro de los capitulos. Lectura limpia, series completas y una comunidad que comparte tu pasion.
https://www.yupmanga.com/tag/yaoi
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https://tmotaku.com/biblioteca/
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“For more than 50 million years, mekosuchines were the apex predators of Australasia.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly confirmed by a web search result ('129,000 years of crocodiles') and supported by Wikipedia entries describing Mekosuchinae as the dominant group in Australasia since the Eocene (approx 53-56 million years ago).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Baru, sometimes referred to as the cleaver-headed crocodile, is an extinct genus of Australian mekosuchine crocodilian. Its fossils have been found from various Late Oligocene and Miocene localities f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baru
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mekosuchinae is an extinct clade of crocodilians from the Cenozoic of Australasia. They represented the dominant group of crocodilians in the region during most of the Cenozoic, first appearing in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekosuchinae
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Quinkana is an extinct genus of mekosuchine crocodylians that lived in Australia from about 25 million to about 20,000 years ago, with the majority of fossils having been found in Queensland. Four spe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinkana
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Some [mekosuchines] even survived to meet humans.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm this: one web search result explicitly states 'Some even survived to meet humans' and another notes they persisted on Pacific islands until after human colonisation.
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web search NEUTRAL — Species of Baru are among the largest and most robust mekosuchines, bearing heavily built skulls with large and finely crenulated teeth. Having reached lengths upwards of 4 m (13 ft), they were the ap…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekosuchinae
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web search NEUTRAL — As with mekosuchine species in New Caledonia and Fiji, Mekosuckus kalpokasi sp. nov. was a small, possibly terrestrial carnivore that is now extinct. The differences between the Efate specimen and pre…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278348316_New_Extin…
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web search NEUTRAL — Some were semi-aquatic ambush predators similar to today’s crocodiles and alligators, whereas others likely hunted on land. The last mekosuchines persisted on a few Pacific islands until they went ext…
https://www.capital-media.mu/2021/06/prehistoric-river-boss-…
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“Others were much smaller “dwarf” species that inhabited islands such as New Caledonia.”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia confirms mekosuchines colonized islands including New Caledonia, and a PDF research paper describes Mekosuchus species in New Caledonia and Fiji as 'small, possibly terrestrial' carnivores.
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web search NEUTRAL — By the Pleistocene mekosuchines had colonized various islands in the South Pacific, namely Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu.The Lapita people inhabited large parts of Melanesia and Polynesia, including…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekosuchinae
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web search NEUTRAL — Islands - New Caledonia. 15 Dec. Written By Søren Bay Kruse Thomsen.Figure 4. Fossil replica of Meiolania platyceps, a close relative of Meiolania mackayi. This species inhabited Lord Howe Island rath…
https://www.theextinctions.com/articles-1/extinctions-new-ca…
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web search NEUTRAL — As with mekosuchine species in New Caledonia and Fiji, Mekosuckus kalpokasi sp. nov. was a small, possibly terrestrial carnivore that is now extinct. The differences between the Efate specimen and pre…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278348316_New_Extin…
info
“some species possessed blade-like serrated teeth and probably hunted their prey on land.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that some hunted on land is mentioned in the 'Prehistoric river boss' article, but the other provided evidence for this specific claim are merely dictionary definitions of the word 'certain'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of CERTAIN is fixed, settled. How to use certain in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Certain.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/certain
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — CERTAIN definition: 1. having no doubt or knowing exactly that something is true, or known to be true, correct, exact…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/certain
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Define certain. certain synonyms, certain pronunciation, certain translation, English dictionary definition of certain. adj. 1. Definite; fixed: set aside a certain sum each week.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/certain
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“Ancient rock art, some dating back around 20,000 years, reveals that Indigenous Australians were closely observing and depicting these animals for millennia.”
CORROBORATED
The claim is directly stated in the '129,000 years of crocodiles' source and supported by another source mentioning crocodile cave paintings in the Kimberley dating back 28,000 years.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum was a constitutional referendum held on 14 October 2023 in which the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice was rejected. Voters were aske…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Australian_Indigenous_Voi…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Many scholars have argued that the British colonisation of Australia and subsequent actions of various Australian governments and individuals involved acts of genocide against Indigenous Australians. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_of_Indigenous_Austral…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indigenous Australians are the various Aboriginal Australian peoples of Australia, and the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. The terms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Archaeological evidence shows that humans did occasionally eat crocodiles, and sometimes even crafted pendants from their teeth.”
SINGLE SOURCE
This specific detail regarding eating crocodiles and crafting pendants is found in the '129,000 years of crocodiles' source, but no other provided evidence corroborates these specific archaeological findings.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia, which includes the alligators and caimans, the gharial and false gharial as well as other ext…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Archaeological evidence shows that humans did occasionally eat crocodiles, and sometimes even crafted pendants from their teeth. Yet such discoveries are quite rare. When ancient archaeological sites …
https://theconversation.com/129-000-years-of-crocodiles-what…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Quora is a place to gain and share knowledge. It's a platform to ask questions and connect with people who contribute unique insights and quality answers. This empowers people to learn from each other…
https://www.quora.com/
info
“On mainland Australia, mekosuchines are currently only known from fossils.”
SINGLE SOURCE
This claim is explicitly stated in the '129,000 years of crocodiles' source. No other evidence was provided to corroborate or contradict this, but it is a specific factual claim from a relevant source.
info
“Most [mekosuchine] remains date from more than 40,000 years ago.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that most remains date from more than 40,000 years ago is explicitly stated in the '129,000 years of crocodiles' source. The Wikipedia results provided for this claim are general information about Australia and not relevant to mekosuchine fossils.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a land area of 7,688,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — These lists of Australian cities by population provide rankings of Australian cities and towns according to various systems defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The eight Greater Capi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Australia_by…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of most-visited websites worldwide as of April 2026, along with their change in ranking compared to the previous month. This list and its two reference data sources, Similarweb and Semr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-visited_websites
schedule
“Their disappearance occurred around the same time as the extinction of other Australian megafauna”
PENDING
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“The extinct crocs of New Caledonia and Vanuatu were small, reaching less than two metres in length as adults.”
PENDING
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“the known record of these island mekosuchines ends within a few centuries of human settlement.”
PENDING
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“In several cases, their remains were found in association with human artefacts and middens.”
PENDING
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“In one example from Vanuatu, a mekosuchine limb bone appears to bear the gnaw marks of a rat”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.