Volia

Volia is an extinct monospecific genus of mekosuchine crocodylian closely related to Mekosuchus and Trilophosuchus. Volia is known from a collection of largely fragmentary remains including skull bones and limbs recovered from the Voli Voli and Wainibuku Caves on Viti Levu (Fiji), with similar remains having been found on Naigani. It was around long, making it the largest predatory animal on the island and subsequently most likely the apex predator of the Pleistocene ecosystems of Fiji. It may have fed on giant iguanas, flightless birds or even fish. Like its closest relatives, it may have been more terrestrial than today's crocodiles. Fossils of Volia athollandersoni, the type and currently only known species, have been found in the Voli-Voli and Wainibuku Caves of Viti Levu Island. The remains were uncovered when paleontologist Trevor Worthy and archaeologist Atholl Anderson searched Viti Levu for potential fossil deposits in 1997 and 1998, specifically focusing on areas with limestone. These deposits include those of the Pleistocene Voli Voli Cave near Sigatoka River and those of Wainibuku Cave, which is of unknown age and located not far from the capital city of Suva. Both sites yielded a large number of fragmentary remains belonging both to the skull and body of the animal However, as the material is scattered and disarticulated, it is not clear how many animals were present. Based on what little material overlapped, the fossils collected appear to represent a minimum of five individuals. Additionally, due to the unknown age of the Wainibuku Cave, it is possible, if unlikely, that these remains could belong to more than one species. Molnar, Worthy and Willis argue however that this is unlikely given the relatively great size of Volia and the small size of Fiji. The holotype was recovered from the Wainibuku Cave, but the Voli Voli Cave yielded the first and largest fossils. The holotype is housed in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.