Jorgo Ristevski
@jorgoristevski.bsky.social
PhD in paleontology, specializing in crocodylomorph anatomy, taxonomy and evolution. He/Him/His
Nocturnal and not that silly? New paper headed by @evolsara.bsky.social with @evoneuro.bsky.social , @aub-birdy.bsky.social and many others about the dodo's sensory world! See links to Sara's YouTube video and our The Conversation article below 👇. doi.org/10.1093/zool...
If you've ever wondered what the inside of a crocodile's skull looks like, wonder no more! Here are 43 of them in our new paper led by @palaeoburke.bsky.social in which we evaluate endocranial anatomy across extant + fossil crocodylians 🐊: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @es-ucl.bsky.social
Computed tomography reveals the endocranial anatomy of Crocodylia: Implications for phylogenetic relationships and ecomorphological convergence across Crocodylomorpha
The evaluation of the endocranial anatomy of 43 crocodylian species reveals several differences, including variation in the curvature of the encephalic endocast, the size of the endosseous labyrinth ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
New at Tetrapod Zoology: Crocodylomorph Empire 2026 tetzoo.com/blog/2026/6/...
Crocodylomorph Empire 2026 — Tetrapod Zoology
Long-time readers of Tet Zoo will perhaps be aware of my efforts, beginning in 2012 or something like that, to depict in a montage the diversity of crocodylomorphs extinct and extant….
tetzoo.com
I have finished a GIANT poster on the evolution, history and diversity of crocodylomorphs (crocodylians and their extinct cousins) and we're now working to get it printed in time for #DinoConUK 2026. The steps in its construction have been shared over recent weeks at my patreon.
Wonderful to work on this study of crocodylian diversity and extinction in the Australasian region! Congratulations @jorgoristevski.bsky.social for leading this work!
Jorgo Ristevski@jorgoristevski.bsky.social · 3mo agoNew paper alert! Our study published at @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social, reviews the late Quaternary crocodylian record from Australasia. This study was conducted during my postdoctoral position at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology with @nicoleboivin.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
New paper alert! Our study published at @zoojlinnsoc.bsky.social, reviews the late Quaternary crocodylian record from Australasia. This study was conducted during my postdoctoral position at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology with @nicoleboivin.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
HUGE new paper on the skull of Muttaburrasaurus! peerj.com/articles/207...
Cranial anatomy, palaeoneurology, palaeobiology and stratigraphic age of the large-bodied ornithopod, Muttaburrasaurus langdoni Bartholomai and Molnar, 1981, from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia
The holotype of Muttaburrasaurus langdoni Bartholomai & Molnar, 1981, a large-bodied ornithopod from the mid-Cretaceous of Australia, consists of an almost complete skull and partial postcranium, and is among the most skeletally complete ornithopods from Gondwana. The taxon was defined by a dorsally inflated muzzle, thought to be formed by the nasals, enlarged mandibular adductor musculature and cheek teeth thought to have a uniquely en masse eruption pattern. The rostrum, however, was unknown. The original description of the holotype skull was superficial, which has confounded numerous attempts to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of the taxon. Recently, the holotype quarry was reworked and new craniodental materials were collected. In addition, previously undescribed materials of the holotype skull are now identified. Here, using CT imagery, we extensively revise the craniodental osteology of Muttaburrasaurus langdoni and describe its palaeoneurology. From detrital zircons, we date the holotype locality in the Cenomanian at 96.3 ± 8.6 Ma. The premaxillary ramus of the holotype, now discovered, has five well-developed teeth, as in early diverging ornithischians. Modified premaxillary processes exclude the nasals from the nares, convergent with lambeosaurines, and novel paired ossifications, termed prenasals, form the roof and internal septa of the muzzle. Superior airway chambers in the muzzle, descending turbinate support ridges and highly enlarged olfactory bulbs, suggest heightened olfactory acuity. As in other megahervorous vertebrates, wide monocular vision potentially aided predator detection and conspecific interaction, such as herding behaviour. Stereoscopic vision in the narrow binocular field potentially assisted target selection, obstacle avoidance and distance timing during locomotion. Low frequency hearing (<1 kHz) could have aided communication in open and closed habitats and under low light conditions. Proportions of the semicircular canals suggest a facultative biped. Cognition appears comparable to non-hadrosaurid iguanodontians. The narrow premaxilla is consistent with selective browsing and caniniform premaxillary dentition potentially aided access to nutritious plant food items encased in cones and possibly invertebrates. The cheek teeth erupted in a wave-like pattern, as in other ornithischians and were configured for grinding mastication. Nasal salt glands were possibly developed, suggesting a diet that included excess salt ingestion. Our findings shed new light on the behavioural and sensory palaeobiology of Muttaburrasaurus. We anticipate future phylogenetic analyses of Muttaburrasaurus will be better informed from the anatomical information provided herein.
peerj.com
Amber fossils ARE SOOO COOL. It's insane to me you can see a 100 million year old extinct creature in its full form. All of the DNA is long gone but its body is perfectly preserved as if it died only yesterday. Chimerarachne seen below, who had a cool tail whip!
Lolong, reliably the largest modern crocodilian ever measured by humans, and a tragic tale that shows what happens when rural populations mingle with the natural habitat of such mystical creatures they're not prepared for, RIP Lolong.
T. rex is more closely related to this little dinosaur (a hummingbird) than T. rex is to Allosaurus. Also, a hummingbird's humerus is way smaller than it's eyeball. Go home, evolution, you're drunk! 🦖
@historicalbiology.bsky.social - exciting new era has begun! Our first big step to becoming an Open Science & FAIR Journal. If anyone has any questions please do contact our Data Editor @brooke-long-fox.bsky.social
Historical Biology@historicalbiology.bsky.social · 7mo agoHistorical Biology is now operating under a new Publicly Available data policy 🔓 All submitting authors must make their data &/or code available in an online repository that mints a DOI at submission. See the link below for more information: authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/data-sharing...
A couple more reptiles I want to appear in PhP Ice Age are Paludirex and Quinkana. Megalania and the saltwater crocodile weren’t the only large predatory reptiles of Pleistocene Australia. Here I’m going to focus on Paludirex.
Of course we can't talk mekosuchines without mentioning Quinkana, a mysterious animal with a deep skull and serrated teeth often interpreted to have been terrestrial. Sadly, while I would have loved to see it, the lack of remains means its at a high risk to age badly.
And the larger, more robust Paludirex vincenti, although much like Gunggamarandu its not entirely clear whether or not it actually reached into the Pleistocene or died during the Pliocene. For entertainment value tho I would have loved to see it featured.
We've finally arrived at mekosuchines, a unique radiation exclusive to Australia and some islands. First lets talk about Paludirex, the swamp king. There are two species to be considered, the smaller Paludirex gracilis which was definitely Pleistocene
What Gunggamarandu would offer is a unique branch of gavialoid on continental Australia. Phylogenies suggest it may have been a very early branch and gharials are an underappreciated part of Cenozoic Australian croc fauna, otherwise dominated by the next few taxa
Instead, lets turn to our last gavialoid over on the Australian mainland: Gunggamarandu. Now two big caveats 1. it's not known from the most complete material 2. it's not entirely clear whether or not it was Pliocene or Pleistocene, like another croc later on
A great summary by Adam Yates on the "drop croc" topic. In short, there is no evidence to support tree climbing in any mekosuchine crocodylian. Also, using AI generated articles to further promote this unsubstantiated idea is a really bad look.
Adam Yates@reddirtpalaeo.bsky.social · 9mo ago@jorgoristevski.bsky.social just alterted me to this absolutely horrible page of false AI slop being passed off as an educational page on the Queensland Museum website. www.museum.qld.gov.au/learn-and-di... 1/n
Day 2 of #2025SVP announcements! We are delighted to be promoting 6 of our editorial board members: Arnau Bolet, Diego Castaneda, Masaya Iijima, Beniamino Mecozzi, Jorgo Ristevski, & Mohd Shafi Bhat, to associate editors!
Check out this new paper about crocodylian, likely mekosuchine, eggshell fragments from the Eocene of Queensland. Great to see this material finally published. doi.org/10.1080/0272...
Australia’s oldest crocodylian eggshell: insights into the reproductive paleoecology of mekosuchines
Alongside large madtsoiid snakes, the largest known lizards, thylacoleonid marsupials and a range of other terrestrial carnivores, the now extinct mekosuchine crocodylians were significant predator...
doi.org
Replica skeleton of Baru iylwenpeny on display at the Queensland Museum. This is part of the new Croc! exhibit. #MuseumCore #CrocQM
Happy #FossilFriday! Meet Paludirex, a BIG #crocodile from #Australia, one of many crocs coming from the Science Museum of Minnesota to @badweatherbrew.bsky.social for #CroctoberFest tomorrow (Sat, Sept 20)! We’ll be there 12-5pm with sooo much + I’m giving two talks, come raise a glass with us! 🐊🍺🐊
For #Croctober Day 20 I want to shout out some fun etymology. To the left you see Paludirex, a large mekosuchine who's name means "swamp king". On the right is Gunggamarandu, which translates to "river boss". Both have been named by Jorgo Ristevski Art by Eleanor Pease
Armin Reindl@arminreindl.bsky.social · 10mo agoFor #Croctober Day 19 we got an extant animal, the modern African Dwarf Crocodile. The vocal range of crocs is not widely appreciated and we still learn more about them. For example, last year a paper revealed that dwarf crocs make mooing sounds soundcloud.com/user-4989432...
Confractosuchus and the unsupervized infant child it swallowed before dying
Australia in the Anthropocene: Linking Past, Present and Future. Wonderful project workshop yesterday exploring the diverse methods our students and ECRs are using to examine how Australia's ecosystems have been shaped by people over the long-term and why it matters today.
For #Croctober Day 11 we got Confractosuchus (art by Julius Csotonyi) Confracto once inhabited the Winton Formation of Australia, but unlike the tiny Isisfordia was sizable enough to even feed on dinosaurs. Which we know because we found the bones of an elasmarian in its stomach
Armin Reindl@arminreindl.bsky.social · 10mo agoOur fun fact for #Croctober day 10 Crocs even developed beaks at some point. Macelognathus (art by Scott Reid) is an early crocodylomorph from the Morrison Formation who's lower jaw tip was flattened and beak like with teeth further back in the jaw.
#Croctober Day 6 Heres a fun one from a research history POV. In 1997 researchers described a snout tip under the name Baru huberi and in 2016 skull elements were given the name Ultrastenos willisi Only last year did we recognize that both fossils belonged to a single individual
