Fossils of complete crocodile unearthed in China's Jilin Province

Image for representational purpose only

New Delhi: Archeologists have discovered fossils of a complete crocodile and bones belonging to at least six different dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period, 145 to 66 million years ago in northeast China.

According to Xinhua news agency, the 1.5-metre-long crocodile fossil was unearthed on June 1, in China's Jilin province after a year of preparation by paleontologists from Chinese Academy of Sciences and a local fossil centre, who began the excavation work late last month.

"Crocodiles and dinosaurs lived together, which means there are probably more fossils buried underneath," Jin Changzhu, a research fellow at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, said on Friday.

In addition, archeologists also discovered a large amount of teeth, arm, pelvis and rib bones that belonged to the different dinosaurs including camosaurs, iguanodons and ceratopsians, most of which were in good condition.

Cretaceous turtle fossils and petrified wood were also unearthed.

According to Sun Ge, curator of Paleontological Museum of Liaoning, Yanji has been identified as the easternmost site of Cretaceous dinosaur fossils in China, and the recent findings have enriched the understanding and research of its fossil resources.

The fossil was well preserved from head to tail, with clear skin, which is quite rare among Cretaceous strata findings in China.

(With IANS inputs)