Australian scientists have successfully decoded the fossil of an ancient amphibian species that lived approximately 247 million years ago.
This decoding helps answer questions that have persisted for nearly three decades since the fossil of this species was discovered.
In the 1990s, Mihail Mihaildis, a farmer in Umina, New South Wales, purchased a 1.6-ton sandstone slab to renovate his house.
Fossil specimen discovered over 30 years ago. (Source: Australian Museum).
While cutting the slab, he discovered the shape of a strange creature. Mihaildis contacted the Australian Museum in Sydney to return this fossil in 1997.
Paleontologist Lachlan Hart, who had the opportunity to observe this unusual fossil since childhood, shared: “I have often seen this fossil on display since 1997, and it is surprising that 25 years later, this fossil became a part of my PhD thesis.”
Hart noted that the fossil contains a nearly complete skeleton, which is quite rare.
He described: “This creature has a head attached to its body. The skin and surrounding fatty tissues have fossilized, making this truly a rare fossil specimen.”
After decoding the fossil data, Hart and his colleagues estimated that this amphibian species was about 1.5 meters long and had a body shape resembling that of a salamander. This species has been scientifically named Arenaepeton supinatus.
Scientists indicated that this carnivorous amphibian once lived in freshwater lakes and streams in Sydney, and is part of the Temnospondyli family.
This amphibian species has resiliently survived two of the five mass extinction events on Earth, including a series of volcanic eruptions that wiped out 70-80% of dinosaur species 66 million years ago.
Currently, three fossils from the Temnospondyli family have been successfully identified in Australia.
Hart stated: “This discovery shows that Australia is a wonderful place for animal species to evolve and find refuge after mass extinctions.”
His research team believes that this discovery could “rewrite the evolutionary history of amphibian species in Australia.”
The fossil of this strange animal will be on permanent display at the Australian Museum by the end of this year.
