Fossils of crocodiles dating back over 200 million years ago have been found in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

The fossils were discovered in Mengzi County when a farmer was digging a patch of limestone, archaeologists said. The stone fragments contained fossils of two crocodiles, but only one crocodile fossil was well preserved.

The fossils are the first of their kind ever found in the region and will be of great help in the study of the ecological and geological evolution of the area.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2002)