Wio News: Decades after a retired chicken farmer found curious bones in Australia’s New South Wales, scientists have identified the remains as those belonging to an almost 250 million-year-old lizard-like species. With this, the mystery which has captivated scientists for years has finally come to an end.
The amazing discovery, as per experts, may “rewrite the evolution of amphibians in Australia,” and prove that the nation was a “great place for animals to evolve and find refuge after mass extinctions”.
As per a BBC report, scientists estimate that the “new” species of amphibians roamed Australia some 247 million years ago.Based on the nearly complete skeleton, scientists estimate that the amphibian was approximately 1.5 metres (around 5 feet) long and had a salamander-shaped body.
The remarkable lizard-like amphibian is said to have survived not just one, but two mass-extinction events. It is part of the Temnospondyli family — which refers to resilient amphibians that survived two of the earth’s five mass extinction event; including a series of volcanic eruptions that wiped off about 70-80 per cent of all dinosaurs around 66 million years ago.
As per experts, the amphibian which has been named Arenaepeton supinatus, latin for “sand creeper on its back” once lived in the freshwater lakes and streams of Sydney.