Researchers at the University of Edinburgh discovered that a distant relative of modern salamanders was a large crocodile-like amphibian, which existed in the period when the dinosaurs over million years was the peak predator. The University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences’s Dr. Steve Brusatte led the study and his team of palaeontologists found the presence of this newt-like giant after they excavated bones from southern Portugal at the location of an ancient lake. Researchers said that Metoposaurus Algarvensis, the species of amphibian was part of a larger group which lived at lower latitudes than 220. They were also common between and millions years ago. Metoposaurus Algarvensis model. (Credit to Marc Boulay, Cossima Productions). The most recent finding was published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Metoposaurus Algarvensis reached a height of 2m (6ft 7ins), and was found living in lakes and rivers during the Late Triassic Period. The lifestyle and diet of Metoposaurus algarvensis was similar to modern crocodiles. The authors said that it ate mainly fish. It was coincident with the appearance of dinosaurs. The species ruled the food chain for over 150 millions years. These primitive amphibians are the basis of modern amphibians such as newts, frogs, and other frog species. Scientists had not realized that this group of amphibians is geographically more diverse than they thought. The team stated that Metoposaurus Algarvensis is a distant relative to the modern salamanders. The fossils of this species were found in North America, India and Europe, as well as Africa. Because of the differences in skull and jaw structure, the palaeontologists discovered that fossils found in Portugal were from another species. Researchers believe the discovery of the new species occurred in an extensive bone bed where hundreds of amphibians died after the lake dried up. Metoposaurus Algarvensis skull fossils. (Credit to Octavio Mateus Richard Butler and Steve Brusatte. The team hopes to discover more specimens. Only 4 metres have been excavated. Scientists believe that there may be more fossils there. The mass extinction that occurred around 201million years ago caused the extinction of most of these species. This was a long time before the fall from the dinosaurs. Triassic Period ended with the disappearance of most of these animals. The supercontinent Pangea, which encompassed all the continents of Earth today, began to fall apart at this point. A number of vertebrates were wiped out, including large amphibians. This allowed dinosaurs to take over as dominant predators. Dr. Brusatte described the fearsome creature as: “This amphibian is like something from a horror movie.” The amphibian was about the same length as a car and featured hundreds of sharp teeth. These predators were a threat to lakes and rivers in the Triassic. Dr. Richard Butler will be discussing his work, as well as the newly discovered species and other aspects related to palaeontology, during a series at Edinburgh International Science Festival. This study was supported by Camara Municipal de Silves, Junta de Freguesia de Salir, Loule and Junta de Freguesia de Salir, in Portugal. It also received funding from the German Research Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Citation: “Another species of Metoposaurus was discovered in the Late Triassic, Portugal, and observations on the biogeography and systematics of metoposaurid temnospondyls,” Stephen L. Brusatte and Richard J. Butler. Octavio Mateus, J. Sebastien Steyer. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Published online 23 February, 2015. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2014. 912988.
