''Baru'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n mekosuchine

crocodilian Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both ) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period ( Cenomanian stage) and are the closest living ...

. It was semi-aquatic, around 4 m (13 ft) in length. Being semi-aquatic its habitat was around fresh pools of water in wet forests, ambushing their prey, much like modern species. The word ''Baru'' is Aboriginal and means "crocodile's ancestor". Fossils have been found in Australia at Riversleigh in north-western

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and Alcoota in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

Species

There are currently three valid species within the genus ''Baru''. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

''B. darrowi'' is known from the Middle

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

of the Northern Territory and is the largest reaching size of 4–5 m in length. It is named after English actor

Paul Darrow Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby; 2 May 1941 – 3 June 2019) was an English actor. He became best known for playing Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series ''Blake's 7'' between 1978 and 1981. His many television rol ...

. Two older species, ''B. huberi'' and ''B. wickeni'' are known from the Late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

Etadunna Formation Etadunna may refer to: * Etadunna, South Australia, the gazetted locality named for the station * Etadunna Airstrip, an airfield in South Australia * Etadunna Formation, a geological formation found in Queensland - refer Baru ''Baru'' is an ...

of Queensland. In 2009, a Baru skull had been found at the Alcoota fossil site about 200km (125 miles) from

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. It was thought to belong to a known reptile of the Baru genus, but that has been updated with new study which claims this is a new species, which is expected to be named in 2022.

Phylogeny

A 2018 tip dating study by Lee & Yates simultaneously using morphological, molecular (

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. Th ...

), and stratigraphic (

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

age) data established the inter-relationships within Crocodylia. The cladogram below shows the placement of ''Baru'' within Mekosuchinae:

References

External links

Australia's Lost Kingdoms
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1650734, from2=Q20717129 Mekosuchinae Oligocene crocodylomorphs Miocene crocodylomorphs Riversleigh fauna Cenozoic reptiles of Australia Crocodiles of Australia Prehistoric pseudosuchian genera