Kryostega

Name: Kryostega ‭(‬Frozen roof‭).
Phonetic: Kry-o-steg-ah.
Named By: C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Damiani‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Hammer‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Amphibia,‭ ‬Temnospondyli,‭ ‬Stereospondyli.
Species: K.‭ ‬collinssoni‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore/Piscivore.
Size: Preserved portion of the skull‭ ‬27‭ ‬centimetres long by‭ ‬21‭ ‬centimetres wide.‭ ‬Reconstructed skull length estimated at‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter.‭ ‬Total body size extrapolated from the reconstructed skull length estimated at about‭ ‬4.5‭ ‬meters.
Known locations: Antarctica,‭ ‬Transantarctic Mountains‭ ‬-‭ ‬Fremouw Formation.
Time period: Olenekian of the Triassic.
Fossil representation: Partial skull.

       Kryostega is one of the growing number of temnospondyl amphibians that are now known from Antarctica.‭ ‬With a reconstructed body length estimated to be about four and a half meters long,‭ ‬Kryostega is so far one of the largest temnospondyl amphibians known to have lived in Antarctica during the Early Triassic,‭ ‬and a candidate for being a key apex predator here at that time.‭ ‬Possible prey animals for Kryostega would include anything from fish and other temnospondyl amphibians,‭ ‬to possibly even land creatures such as cynodonts and other therapsids.‭

Further reading
-‭ ‬A new Triassic temnospondyl from Antarctica and a review of Fremouw Formation biostratigraphy.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬28‭(‬3‭)‬:656-663.‭ ‬-‭ ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Damiani‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Hammer‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.



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