Crocodiles are a conservative group of reptiles regarding their morphology and behaviour.
Fossil representatives are hence important to be studied. In the Paleogene sedimentary
area of Gilau, from the former Manastur limestone quarry in Cluj-Napoca, a fossil
fragmentary crocodile skull was found in Priabonian rocks. This 19th century discovery
documents a new species of Diplocynodon. From the Leghia-Tabara limestone quarry,
another crocodile fossil was unearthed a decade ago. The latter specimen, representing
a crocodile mandible, may be associated to the same new species. The new discovery
provides new characters enhancing our knowledge on that species and on the whole group.
Unusual is the Eocene marine environment where the crocodile fossil originated from.
As a consequence, the following questions are raising: had it been a marine taxon
or a terrestrial representative that managed to get in marine environments during
incursions for food, or had it been transported postmortem in the marine basin by
fluvial streams? The mentioned genus probably had limited osmoregulatory capabilities,
in a similar way to recent alligators, which do not possess osmoregulatory salt glands,
which would keep their homeostatic equilibrium under control.
