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Prehistoric amphibians longer than buses
Image note: Comparison of the size of the sawtooth salamander and humans, picture from the network
The previous issue introduced the large amphibians living in the Cretaceous Antarctic Circle, the Cole crocodile, and this issue of the Little Tarptor takes you on a journey through the footprints of prehistoric giant amphibians, this time the largest species of amphibians ever seen: the serrated salamander.
Broken skulls in Brazil
Image note: Fossils of the salamander, picture from the web
In 1948, Brazilian paleontologist L. L.I. Price Price) describes a group of fossils from northeastern Brazil, in which fragments of skull fossils are 0.5 meters long. Based on the characteristics exhibited by the fossilized stone bones, Price named the animal Prionosuchus, and the model species P. plummeri）。
Price restored the sawtooth salamander from fossils, and he obtained an amphibian about 2 meters long, which did not look particularly large. Just when people began to ignore the sawtooth salamander, more fossils of the sawtooth salamander were found, including a huge specimen numbered BMNH R12005. Compared to the fossils studied by Price, BMNH R12005 is at least three times larger, and the skull alone is 1.6 meters long, which represents a huge monster that is 9 meters long!
<h1>Crocodile imitators</h1>
Image note: The serrated salamander compares to the size of humans, image from the network
Image note: Salamander in swimming posture, image from the internet
The serrated salamander can reach 9 meters long and weigh about 3 tons, making it the largest amphibian known to humans. In appearance, the sawtooth salamander did not resemble common amphibians, but rather very similar to today's crocodiles. The serrated salamander has a slender mouth full of sharp teeth that are perfect for piercing and holding on to slippery fish. The head behind the long mouth of the serrated salamander is relatively wide, and a pair of eyes grow on the top of the head, making it easy to observe the movement above the head.
Image Note: Look down at the sawtooth salamander and you will find that it has the characteristics of amphibians and crocodiles, the picture comes from the network
The serrated salamander has a long body, and fins have evolved on its tail behind it, and powerful tail fins help it move quickly through the water. Compared with the body, the serrated salamander has very short limbs, and the role of the limbs is to ensure that it can land, but its walking speed on land is very slow.
The special shape makes the sawtooth salamander look more like a large crocodile, but it is the first creature to have a crocodile structure, not so much that the sawtooth salamander imitates the crocodile, but rather the crocodile imitates the sawtooth salamander.
Overlord between land and sea
Image note: The earth in which the sawtooth salamander lived, the red mark is the area where it lives, and the picture comes from the Network
Image note: Sawtooth salamander in fishing, image from the web
Fossils of the salamander come from the Pedrado Fogo Formation in the Parnaiba Basin in northeastern Brazil, which represents a tropical lagoon and shallow marine environment in the Late Permian period, 270 million years ago. Brazil in the late Permian period was warm and humid, with dense forests growing on land, and different species of sharks, cod, lungfish and other amphibians lived in rivers and shallow seas, and sawtooth salamanders fed on these animals. Don't look at the sawtooth salamander on land slowly and clumsily, but after entering the water, it becomes a different look, can swim flexibly and quickly, and it is not difficult to catch prey.
Illustration: The environment in which the sawtooth salamander lives is similar to the image above, and the picture comes from the network
Sawtooth salamanders may not just settle for hunting in the water, they will also come to the shallows of rivers and lakes to ambush animals that are close to the water's edge. When careless animals come to the water's edge, the sawtooth salamander will suddenly rush out of the water, dragging its prey into the water and drowning, as is the case with crocodiles today.
Image note: The sawtooth salamander is huge, even larger than the largest crocodile today, and the image comes from the Internet
Illustration: The giant sawtooth salamander is the pinnacle of the amphibian family, and the image comes from the Internet
The sawtooth salamander was the top predator at the junction of freshwater and saltwater worlds in Permian South America, and it was the first species to demonstrate that crocodile shapes could be perfectly switched between land and water, and subsequent plantosaurs and crocodiles evolved similar body forms. The sawtooth salamander was the pinnacle of amphibian evolution, and its appearance made amphibians one of the top predators for the first time.
Resources:
1.L.I. Price, 1948, A Labirinthodon anphibio of the stone of fire form, Estado do Maranhao: Ministry of Agriculture, National Department of Ineral Production Division of Geology and Mineralogy, Bulletin n. 124, p. 7-32.
2.Cox, C.B., and Hutchinson, P. (1991). "Fishes and amphibians from the Late Permian Pedra de Fogo Formation of Northern Brazil" Palaeontology, 34(3): 561-573.
3.Levy, D.L., & Heald, R. (2015). "Biological Scaling Problems and Solutions in Amphibians." Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, a019166.
Picture Note: Odd Pterodactyl is undoubtedly the most peculiar dinosaur in appearance, the picture comes from the Internet
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