The Mary River gharial is a cryptid crocodilian reported from the Mary River in Australia's Northern Territory.[1][2] It was described by herpetologist Richard Wells, who was informed of its existence by fish poachers, crocodile hunters, and aboriginal people. Wells described it as:
| “ | ...totally aquatic with an elongated jaw with numerous exposed teeth more in keeping with that of some kind of gharial (Gavialis) - but it appears to reach a larger size, has paddle-like limbs, and is of nocturnal behaviour. Most reports of the creature have been dismissed as representing sawfish or crocodiles, but all the people who reported it were very familiar with sawfish and crocs, but were adamant that it was some sort of crocodile-like reptile and it scared the hell of them.[1]
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Karl Shuker notes that the sightings could be explained by regular crocodiles with dental irregularities, were it not for the paddle-like limbs, which bring to mind the thalattosuchians, which are believed to have gone extinct 110 million years ago. However, there was also a species of marine gharial, Gavialis papuensis, which lived in the Solomon Sea north of New Guinea until at least 2 million years ago. Shuker writes that a modern-day Australian descendent of this crocodilian could explain the Mary River gharial.
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shuker, Karl P. N. (2010) Karl Shuker's Alien Zoo: From the Pages of Fortean Times, CFZ Press, ISBN 978-1-905723-62-1
- ↑ Shuker, Karl P. N. (2016) Still In Search Of Prehistoric Survivors: The Creatures That Time Forgot?, Coachwhip Publications, ISBN 978-1616463908