In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have uncovered Australia’s oldest known crocodile eggshells, believed to belong to the enigmatic ‘drop crocs’—tree-climbing crocodiles that once roamed the continent. The 55-million-year-old eggshells were found in a sheep farmer’s backyard in Queensland, with the findings published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. These eggshells are linked to the mekosuchines, an extinct group of crocodiles that thrived in inland waters when Australia was still connected to Antarctica and South America. Co-author Prof. Michael Archer, a palaeontologist at the University of New South Wales, described these creatures as ‘bizarre,’ suggesting they may have hunted like leopards, dropping from trees onto unsuspecting prey. The mekosuchines, which could grow up to five meters in length, were abundant long before their modern counterparts arrived in Australia around 3.8 million years ago. The eggshells were discovered decades ago but were only recently analyzed with the assistance of Spanish scientists. This discovery complements earlier findings of younger mekosuchine fossils in 25-million-year-old deposits elsewhere in Queensland. Prof. Archer has been part of a team excavating a clay pit in Murgon since the early 1980s, a site renowned as one of Australia’s oldest fossil locations. The area, once a lush forest, was home to the world’s oldest-known songbirds, Australia’s earliest frogs and snakes, and a variety of small mammals with South American connections. Prof. Archer recounted how he and a colleague first approached the farmer in 1983, leading to the excavation of this prehistoric treasure trove. He expressed optimism that further digging will reveal even more surprises from this ancient ecosystem.