Iberospondylus

In Depth        Iberospondylus is a genus of temnospondyl amphibian that lived in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain during the late Carboniferous.‭ ‬Two interesting points about Iberospondylus are that the genus is one of the oldest known,‭ ‬and extends the range of such creatures living in Spain by forty-five million years.‭ ‬Additionally,‭ ‬fossils of Iberospondylus have … Read more

Qantas

In Depth        Qantas is a genus of temnspondyl amphibian from Russia. If the name sounds familiar then that might be because it was named in honour of the Australian airline Qantas which supplied funding for the study. Further Reading – New data on trematosauroid labyrinthodonts of Eastern Europe: 3. Qantas samarensis gen. Et sp. Nov”. … Read more

Nigerpeton

In Depth        Nigerpeton seems to have been one of the last surviving members of the Edopoidea group of temnospondyl amphibians. Nigerpeton possibly lived in the same environments as Saharastega since both of these amphibians are known from the Moradi Formation of Niger. Further Reading – Permian tetrapods from the Sahara show climate-controlled endemism in Pangaea. … Read more

Koolasuchus

koolasuchus

In Depth        Koolasuchus is a good example of a late surviving temnospondyl. Most of the other members of this group had been long extinct by the time of the Aptian, but Koolasuchus had managed to hang on in the cooler climate of what would become Australia. However when the climate warmed, crocodiles that were becoming … Read more

Cochleosaurus

In Depth        Despite its name, Cochleosaurus was actually an amphibian. The skull is quite flat and features an ear structure better adapted for use on the land. Some have considered Cochleosaurus to have been an ambush hunter similar to crocodiles today. Further Reading – The edopoid amphibian Cochleosaurus from the middle Pennsylvanian of Nova Scotia. … Read more

Procuhy

In Depth        Although known only from partial skull remains and a single jaw bone,‭ ‬the Procuhy holotype fossils seems to have come from a smaller temnospondyl amphibian.‭ Further Reading -‭ ‬New Permian fauna from tropical Gondwana.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature Communications‭ ‬6‭(‬8676‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Cisneros,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Marsicano,‭ ‬K.‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Angielczyk,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Smith,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Richter,‭ … Read more

Saharastega

In Depth        Although only first‭ ‬described from a skull,‭ ‬Saharastega shows similarities to Nigerpeton,‭ ‬and together the two genera are considered to be primitive members of the Temnospondyli.‭ ‬As with its other relatives,‭ ‬Saharastega probably never strayed too far from water where they were best adapted to live and hunt,‭ ‬though most temnospondyl amphibians could … Read more

Peltobatrachus

In Depth        Peltobatrachus had an arrangement of bony armour plates that ran down the length of its body similar to an armadillo. Although it lived on the land, Peltobatrachus probably still had to return to water to lay its eggs like other amphibians. Further Reading Further reading- A new armoured amphibian from the Upper Permian … Read more

Cacops

In Depth        Cacops had many bony plates mainly concentrated along its back. These plates may have given it some protection from other terrestrial predators of the time. The large otic notch at the back of the skull suggests that Cacops had good hearing. Cacops itself was a predator, likely feeding upon invertebrates and smaller vertebrates. … Read more