Researchers have found the oldest crocodile eggshells in Australia, which reveal an ancient version of the species may have climbed trees to hunt their prey.

The fossilised fragments were found in the backyard of a grazier in the small Queensland town of Murgon, about 247km north-west of Brisbane, by an international research team, including palaeontologists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

The fossils reveal evidence of mekosuchine crocodiles that roamed Australia 55 million years ago.

By contrast, modern saltwater and freshwater crocodiles only arrived in Australia 3.8 million years ago.

The specific species of mekosuchine found in Queensland has been called Wakkaoolithus godthelpi , and experts said they were far different to modern crocodiles.

"It's a bizarre i

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