|
|
Article: Fossils of early salamanders found. (Paleontology).
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- April 5, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Newly discovered fossilized salamanders push back a milestone in amphibian evolution by more than 100 million years, paleontologists say.
Volcanic ash smothered members of at least five previously unknown species of cryptobranchid salamanders about 160 million years ago in what's now Inner Mongolia. Living relatives include the Asian giant salamander, which can grow as big as a small human adult, and the smaller hellbender of North America, says Neil H. Shubin of the University of Chicago.
The fine ash preserved many of the doomed creatures' soft tissues, including eye lenses, external gills, and tadpole-like tails. Even remnants of last meals ...