A newly described trunk tetrapod exceeding 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length Gaiacia geniae It was probably the largest organism of its kind.
Gaiacia geniae It lived in what is now Namibia during the Early Permian period, about 280 million years ago.
“Most of our ideas about the early evolution of tetrapods come from fossils found in the vast coal-producing ancient equatorial wetlands of what is now Europe and North America,” said paleontologist Claudia Marsicano of the University of Buenos Aires and her colleagues.
“but Gaiacia geniae They come from far south and live in the area of ​​the southern supercontinent Gondwana, around 55 degrees south latitude.”
The structure of the skull and jaw Gaiacia geniae It had a powerful bite that allowed it to catch large prey.
“Gaiacia geniae “This dinosaur was significantly larger than a human and likely lived near the bottom of a swamp or lake,” said Dr Jason Pardo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum of Natural History.
“It has a big, flat, toilet seat-shaped head with an open mouth so it can suck in prey. It has huge fangs, and the whole front of its mouth is made up of giant teeth.”
“It's a large predator, but it could also be a relatively slow-moving ambush predator.”
Nearly complete skeleton Gaiacia geniae After preparation. Image courtesy of Claudia Marsicano.
At least four fossils Gaiacia geniaeRemains were found, including skull fragments and an incomplete spinal column. Gaias Layer Northwestern Namibia.
“When we found this enormous specimen lying in the outcrop as a giant concretion, we were truly shocked,” Dr Marsicano said.
“As soon as we saw it we knew it was something completely different. Everyone was so excited,” he said.
“When I examined the skull, the structure at the front of the skull caught my attention.”
“That was the only part that was clearly visible at the time, and it showed large tusks that interlocked in a very unusual way, creating a biting technique that was so typical of early tetrapods.”
“We had some really amazing material, including a complete skull, which allowed us to compare it to other animals from this period and learn what kind of animal it was and what makes it unique. We could see there's a lot that's special about this creature,” Dr Pardo added.
Gaiacia geniae They are related to the extinct family of amphibian-like animals called colosteids. Colostacea) are thought to date back even further, having been replaced by more modern amphibians and reptiles during the Late Carboniferous period, about 307 million years ago.
“There are ancient animals that survived 300 million years ago, but they were rare, small and had unique behaviours,” Dr Pardo said.
“Gaiacia geniae They are large, they are numerous, and they appear to be the primary predators in their ecosystem.”
“This shows that what was happening in the far south was very different from what was happening at the equator.”
“This is really important because we don't really know where a lot of the animal groups that showed up during this time came from.”
“What we discovered is Gaiacia geniae “This tells us that there must have been a rich ecosystem in the oceans far to the south that could support these very large predators.”
“The more we look, the more answers we may find about the major animal groups that interest us, such as the ancestors of mammals and modern reptiles.”
Team Investigation result Published in the journal Nature.
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CA Marsicano othersGiant trunk tetrapods were apex predators during the Late Palaeozoic glacial stages of Gondwana. NaturePublished online July 3, 2024; doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07572-0
Source: www.sci.news
