New crocodilian material from the Eocene-Oligocene transition of the NW Bohemia (Czech Republic): An updated fossil record in Central Europe during the Grande Coupure
Abstract
The genus Diplocynodon was a fossil alligatoroid that inhabited Europe from the Paleocene until the Miocene. During the Eocene-Oligocene transition, circa 35 million years ago, a terrestrial faunal turnover occurred in Eurasia during the Grande Coupure.
This overall climate shift is linked with the extinction of numerous European Eocene endemic mammals. The event further affected reptile assemblages, reducing the Eocene crocodilian diversity to a few taxa.
Crocodilians are considered as good climate indicators since they are sensitive to fluctuations in mean annual temperatures. During the Grande Coupure, the genus Diplocynodon was said to have migrated southwards in Europe during the coldest intervals.
However, new material presented from the Kuclin, Vetruse, Kundratice and Detan sites (Czech Republic) does not support this theory and further provides new information on the Eocene-Oligocene cooling event in Central Europe.