All articles tagged with #arenaerpeton supinatus
A landscaped sandstone block revealed Arenaerpeton supinatus, a rare, near-complete Triassic temnospondyl amphibian dating about 240 million years, preserved with soft tissue in sandstone. Described by UNSW and the Australian Museum, the find sheds light on Australia’s fossil heritage and temnospondyl evolution.
Scientists at the University of New South Wales and the Australian Museum have formally named and described a 240-million-year-old fossil of an amphibian called Arenaerpeton supinatus, which was discovered in a retaining wall in the 1990s. The fossil, which shows nearly the entire skeleton and outlines of its skin, belonged to a group of extinct animals known as temnospondyls and inhabited freshwater rivers in what is now the Sydney Basin during the Triassic period. The discovery of this large amphibian is significant as it sheds light on the evolution and size variation of temnospondyls, and it represents an important part of Australia's fossil heritage.
Scientists at UNSW Sydney and the Australian Museum have formally named and described a new species of extinct giant amphibian called Arenaerpeton supinatus. The 240-million-year-old fossil was discovered in rocks intended for a garden retaining wall and shows nearly the entire skeleton, as well as the outlines of its skin. Arenaerpeton inhabited freshwater rivers in what is now known as the Sydney Basin during the Triassic period and is estimated to have been about 1.2m in length. The fossil is a significant find in Australian paleo history and will be on display at the Australian Museum later this year.