Ancient Crocodile ''Missing Link'' Discovered

Ancient Crocodile ''Missing Link'' Discovered
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The well-preserved fossil of a prehistoric crocodile is revealed to the public at a news conference at Federal University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on January 31, 2008.

The 80-million-year-old fossilconsidered to be a likely ''missing link'' to modern crocodileswas found in 2004 near the town of Monte Alto, Brazil, about 215 miles (345 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo (see map).

Zootaxa, a scientific journal based in New Zealand, published details of the discovery in 2007.

The newfound species has been named after the local scientist who excavated the fossil, Antonio Celso de Arruda Campos.

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