Scientists have discovered that the limestone rocks used to build Egypt’s Great Sphinx contain fossils from an extinct crocodile species. The new species, named Herugavialis cairensis, was found in 54-million-year-old rocks of the Mokattam Formation near Cairo and is linked to the ancient Egyptian deity Heru, possibly inspiring the monument's design. Researchers used advanced scanning techniques to distinguish this fossil from previously known crocodile species, revealing it belongs to a family characterized by long snouts. Lead scientist Dr Paul Burke suggests that the Sphinx might hold more fossils of these ancient creatures without recommending any invasive investigations.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
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The Sphinx is one of ancient Egypt's most enigmatic monuments, and now scientists have found that it could be hiding a very unusual secret.
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it → find → secret
According to new research, the legendary half-human-half-lion was built from rocks filled with the hidden fossils of ancient crocodiles.
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lion → accord → crocodiles
Scientists discovered a new species of extinct crocodile in the 54-million-year-old rocks of the Mokattam Formation in northern Egypt.
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Scientists → discover → Egypt
This ancient predator has been dubbed Herugavialis cairensis, after the ancient Egyptian god Heru, which the Sphinx is believed to depict.
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Sphinx → dub → which
The fossil crocodile was found in the very same limestone rocks that had been quarried over 4,000 years ago to construct the legendary Great Sphinx of Giza.
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that → find → Giza
And the scientists even think that the Sphinx itself might now contain fossils of these long-extinct crocs.
Lead author Dr Paul Burke, of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, told the Daily Mail: 'It could!
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It → think → Mail
It was built from the same rocks where Herugavialis was found, so who knows.
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who → build → rocks
'What I don’t recommend is tearing apart the Sphinx to see if there is!'
According to new research, the Great Sphinx of Giza is built using rocks filled with the fossilised remains of ancient crocodiles
Scientists discovered a new species of extinct crocodile in the 54-million-year-old rocks of the Mokattam Formation in Egypt that were used to make the Sphinx, naming it Herugavialis cairensis (artist's impression)
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that → recommend → it
Co-author Professor Philip Mannion, of University College London, says: 'Given this coincidence with the famously missing nose of the Great Sphinx, we decided to name the new crocodile after the Egyptian god Heru, who was possibly the inspiration for this iconic monument.
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who → say → monument
Herugavialis is a member of the gavial family, a group of crocodiles characterised by their long, thin snouts.
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Herugavialis → characterise → snouts
Today, there are only two living species, which are found in freshwater environments across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
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which → be → subcontinent
The fossilised skull of Herugavialis was actually discovered all the way back in the 1920s, during excavations on the Mokattam Formation.
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skull → discover → Formation
However, scientists initially thought that the skull belonged to the 'false gharial ’, or Tomistoma schlegelii, one of the living species of gavials.
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skull → think → gavials
But today, analytical advances in palaeontology, including the use of CT scanning to look inside the skull, have allowed researchers to find key differences between the false gharial and the ancient fossil.
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researchers → include → gharial
That meant the skull was from an entirely new, previously undiscovered species of extinct crocodile, described in a paper published in Royal Society Open Science.
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skull → mean → Science
And, just like the sphinx is famously missing its nose, the fossilised skull is missing the tip of its snout.
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skull → miss → snout
Scientists say that the sphinx itself might contain more fossils of Herugavialis cairensis (artist's impression), but don't recommend taking it apart to find them
Just as the Great Sphinx is famously missing its nose, the fossilised skull of this ancient predator is missing the tip of its snout
Co-author Professor Philip Mannion, of University College London, says:'Given this coincidence with the famously missing nose of the Great Sphinx, we decided to name the new crocodile after the Egyptian god Heru.'
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we → say → god
Even though that part of the fossil is slightly damaged, this distinctive skull shape gives palaeontologists a clue as to how the animal might have once lived.
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animal → damage → clue
Dr Burke says: 'Herugavialis has a long, thin snout with razor-sharp, pointed teeth, similar to the extant Indian gharial, Gavialis.
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Herugavialis → say → gharial
The Indian gharial feeds primarily on fish, so we think that Herugavialis did the same.
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Herugavialis → feed → same
In addition, the Mokattam Formation where Herugavialis was recovered from, also preserves plenty of fish fossils, so we assume they fed on these species.
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they → recover → species
While the gavials have now vanished from the Mediterranean, the fossil records show that these aquatic hunters once spanned nearly the entire globe for more than 100 million years, with many living in shallow marine habitats.
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many → vanish → habitats
In fact, scientists think that Herugavialis would have once shared its home with at least two other species of long-snouted gavials.
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Herugavialis → think → gavials
Dr Paul Burke, of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, says: 'Throughout much of the last 50 million years, the Mediterranean region hosted a high diversity of crocodiles, including gavials.
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region → say → gavials
However, this diversity fluctuated over time, seemingly corresponding to changes in global temperature and sea level, before the loss of all crocodiles in this region as a result of the drying of the Mediterranean approximately six million years ago.'
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diversity → fluctuate → Mediterranean
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