Indian researchers uncovered fossil remains of a rare crocodile-like reptile called a phytosaur in Rajasthan.
The team found the fossil in Megha village, Jaisalmer district while working for the state's water department.
These fossil is estimated to be about 1.5 to 2 meters long and is thought to be over 200 million years old, dating back to the Jurrassic period.
Researches explained that the site may still have many undiscovered fossils which could provide valuable and fascinating insights into the history of evolution, as per BBC.
They further explained that the phytosaur was a semi-aquatic creature that lived partly in both rivers and on land and over time it developed into the crocodiles that we see today.
Researchers also discovered what appeared to be a fossilized egg which might have belonged to the same reptile.
"The fossil indicates a medium-sized phytosaur that probably lived near a river here millions of years ago and ate fish to survive," VS Parihar, a senior palaeontologist who is leading the research, told NDTV news channel.
Previously in 2018, scientists from the Geological Survey of India discovered fossils that were later confirmed to be from the oldest plant-eating dinosaur found in that area.
