A primitive amphibian called the Temnospondyls survived the aftermath of the end-of-permian mass extinction that occurred about 252 million years ago. University of Bristol.

The Permian mass extinction is the most severe biological crisis in the last 540 million years, eliminating more than 90% of marine species and 75% of terrestrial species.

Dr. Aamir Mehmoud, a researcher at the University of Bristol, said:

“These were predatory animals that ate fish and other prey, but were primarily water-related, just like modern amphibians such as frogs and salamanders.”

“We know that the weather was hot, especially after the extinction event. Why were these water-loving animals so successful?”

The early Triassic period was an era of repeated volcanic activity that led to global warming, motivation, reduced atmospheric oxygen, acid rain, and long stages of widespread wildfires, creating such hostile conditions that the tropics lacked animal life.

This “tropical dead zone” dramatically affected the distribution of both marine and terrestrial organisms.

Dr. Suresh Singh of the University of Bristol said:

“We measured the size and characteristics of the skull and teeth that tell us about their function.”

“To our surprise, we discovered that they weren’t much different due to the crisis,” said Dr. Armin Elssler of the University of Bristol.

“The Temnospondils exhibited the same range of body sizes as the Permian, some of them were small, insect-eating, and others were bigger.”

“These large forms included animals in long snoo trapping fish and generalist feeders covered in vast nudes.”

“However, what’s unusual is that their body size and functional diversity expanded about five million years after the crisis and then returned.”

There is evidence that due to severe global warming in the first 5 million years of the Triassic, life on land and on seas has left the tropical region to avoid fever.

“Our work shows that Temnospondil was able to cross the tropical dead zone unexpectedly,” said Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol.

“The fossils are known from South Africa and Australia in the south, North America, Europe, and Siberia in the north.”

“Temnospondyls must have been able to cross the tropical zones during the cool episode.”

“Their explosion of success in the early Triassic period was not tracked,” Dr. Amir said.

“They dealt with hot conditions, perhaps because they could eat most prey animals and perhaps because they had a low food need by hiding in sparse waters.”

“However, when dinosaurs and mammalian ancestors began to diversify in the mid-Triassic period, Temnospondil began to undergo a long decline.”

a paper The findings will be published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

____

Aamir Mehmoud et al. 2025. Permian – the ecology and geography of the recovery of Temnospondil after the mass extinction of the Triassic period. Royal Society Open Sciencein press; doi: 10.1098/rsos.241200