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Egypt has been a major interest for historians, archaeologists, laymen as well as scientists. The molecular Egyptology field started in the mid-eighties with the first publication on the ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of an Egyptian mummy. Inadvertently preserved local faunas, such as that from Quesna, can provide valuable information about ancient environments and subsequent turnover in faunal communities. Crocidura gueldenstaedtii no longer occurs in the Nile Delta, and its presence in a diverse shrew fauna at Quesna that includes one other extirpated species, Crocidura fulvastra (Sundevall, 1843), supports the hypothesis of a moister regional environment 2000–3000 years ago.

Discovery of this species at Quesna increases the number of shrews recovered from ancient Egyptian archaeological sites to eight species. Among the few mammal remains from the site are five species of shrews (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae), including some that we identified as Güldenstaedt’s White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811). Recent excavations here have revealed abundant avian remains from mummies dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god Horus Khenty-Khety. The Falcon Necropolis at Quesna in the Nile Delta of Egypt is considered to have been founded by the priest Djedhor, the Saviour, of Athribis (Tell Atrib in modern Benha) at the beginning of the Ptolemaic Period. The taxonomic identity of crocodylian subfossil specimens throughout Madagascar should be reevaluated in the context of this new occurrence, which could alter hypotheses of crocodylian turnover and the potential human impacts on the island. Here, we report on a significantly older occurrence of the genus Crocodylus, between 76 years cal BP. Because of the earlier age of Voay robustus, it has been suggested that Crocodylus followed the extinction of this endemic species. On the other hand, another crocodyline, the now-extinct endemic Voay robustus, has been reported from several late Holocene localities throughout the island. In Madagascar, the genus Crocodylus has so far been described from a single subfossil specimen dated at 385 years cal BP, offering limited perspectives for discussing the timing of its arrival. Today's crocodylian population consists of a single species, the Nile crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus, whose colonization of the island may be very recent. The island of Madagascar is home to a distinctive fauna and flora whose biogeographic history is not fully understood. Additional samples of crocodiles from both bioarchaeological and paleontological contexts will be required to confirm this. suchus might indicate the historical natural presence of this species in the Egyptian Nile along with C. Our data identifying an adult crocodile mummy as C. Crocodylus suchus has experienced a range contraction possibly due to climate change and the drying of the Sahara over the recent past. suchus was selectively chosen for mummification and support an accurate Egyptian cultural taxonomy as described by Herodotus in the fourth century BC and used by Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire to describe Crocodylus suchus in 1807. Here we present the first assessment of mitogenomic data from an adult Egyptian crocodile mummy from a center of crocodile worship and identify this specimen as C. Analysis of historical museum specimens demonstrated that both species existed concurrently in the Sudanese Nile until the early 20th century and genetic analyses of historical museum specimens of mummified crocodile hatchlings from Egyptian tombs located along Egyptian Nile were found to be C. These taxa correspond roughly to an eastern/southern African species (Crocodylus niloticus) and a central/western African species (Crocodylus suchus). Previous investigations of genetic diversity across the distribution of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) confirmed the existence of two genetically distinct species of true crocodile (genus Crocodylus) in Africa.