SCIENCES
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EARTH SCIENCES |
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PhD title: Evolution of the
african crocodiles through the Cenozoic:
Biogeographic and Palaeonvironmental implications. Funding: Self Supervisors: Professor Mike Benton Academic career: 1997-2000: BSc (Hons) Geology and Biology, University of Bristol |
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Project Summary:
My project is focused on fossil crocodiles from Libya collected by the late Bob Savage in the 1960s and now housed at the University of Bristol. These materials came from two localities, Dor-el-Talha (upper Eocene-lower Oligocene) and Gebel Zelten (lower Miocene). The first step consists in the identification, illustration and description of the taxa present. Then, I will try to clarify the systematic position and phylogeny of the taxa present by means of a cladistic analysis and I will also compare these faunas with those from other parts of the world to shed some light on their biogeographic history.
The project holds potential to clarify some aspects of
the origin and early evolution of several groups of eusuchian crocodyles
(e.g. The origin of gavials and their relationships to other longirostrine
crocodiles such as the Tomistominae and Euthecodon, The origin and early
evolution of the genus Crocodylus). Finally, I will try to get a clear
picture of the evolution of ancient african climates through the Cenozoic
using crocodiles as climatic indicators. Crocodiles can be used as such
because we know that the living representatives of this group are usually
restricted to tropical and subtropical areas, both warm and humid.