A team of Chinese and foreign researchers has discovered a new species of Neosuchia, an ancient vertebrate that lived about 101 million years ago, according to a study recently published in the journal Cretaceous Research.

The joint study was led by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The fossils of the new species, which was named Yanjisuchus longshanensis, were found in the city of Yanji in northeast China's Jilin Province.

The ancient vertebrates lived in the middle Cretaceous period about 101 million years ago, when the region was warm, humid and rich in species, according to the study.

The discovery may help in understanding the evolution of Neosuchia and how the diversity of its species was affected by climate, as well as the origin of modern crocodilians, said the IVPP.