- · Grid units represent actual meters (m); human and animals are drawn to the exact same scale with original silhouette aspect ratios preserved.
- · When a size range is recorded (e.g. 1–1.6m), the lower bound is used for scale comparison.
- · Toyotamaphimeia silhouette: PhyloPic — Armin Reindl · CC BY 4.0 (Sutekhsuchus dowsoni)
- · Human silhouette: PhyloPic — NASA · Public Domain Mark 1.0
Toyotamaphimeia
Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis (Toyotamaphimeia · マチカネワニ)
Known only from fossils. The IUCN Red List assesses only species extant since 1500 CE, so fossil taxa are not assigned a category.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its total length of about 7 m is roughly 1.5 times that of a passenger car (about 4.5 m) (Comparison).
- 💡 Toyonaka City notes that the actual fossil is displayed on the 3rd floor of the Machikaneyama Shugakukan at the Museum of Osaka University (visitors should check ahead before visiting).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis (Machikane crocodile) was a large crocodilian that lived in Japan during the Middle Pleistocene and is closely related to the false gharial (Tomistoma) group. It was discovered in 1964 during construction on the Toyonaka Campus of Osaka University.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Found in 1964 in strata about 450,000 years old, it is Japan's first nearly complete crocodilian skeleton fossil. A paper from the National Museum of Nature and Science re-examined its anatomy in detail.
🔍 3. Fossil Record & Paleoecology
The PBDB classifies it as carnivorous. In June 2025, Japan's Council for Cultural Affairs submitted a recommendation to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to designate it a Natural Monument.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • Fossil taxon — the IUCN Red List assesses only species living or extinct since 1500
- • paleobiodb.org — basicTaxonInfo
- • wikidata.org — Q15041708
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Crocodile skeleton.jpg
- • osaka-u.ac.jp — file
- • kahaku.go.jp — v35.html
- • city.toyonaka.osaka.jp — 250620 machikanewani.pdf
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Armin Reindl · CC BY 4.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Sutekhsuchus dowsoni)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.