Australia: Scientists discover lizard-like ancient amphibian species which occupied country 247 million years ago

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Australia approximately 247 million years ago. The journey to this groundbreaking discovery began with the fossilized remains being stumbled upon by a retired chicken farmer in New South Wales. The creature's remarkable petrified remains were concealed within a sandstone slab that was initially intended for repairing a garden wall at his residence.

With fewer than 10 fossils of this lizard-like species being globally recognized, experts suggest that the revelation could revolutionize our understanding of amphibian evolution in Australia. The exceptional fossil, remarkably well-preserved, provided a nearly complete skeleton, an occurrence that is exceptionally rare in the field of paleontology. The unearthed fossil contained not only the creature's head and body but also retained fossilized skin and fatty tissues around its exterior.

Palaeontologist Lachlan Hart, who would eventually decipher the fossil's secrets, first encountered the specimen as a child in the Australian Museum's display room in 1997. Fate intervened when his research team, focused on Australia's Triassic era, was entrusted with the fossil for identification. This «dumb luck,» as Hart describes it, unveiled the fossil's extraordinary rarity and significance.

Reconstructing data from the fossil, Hart and his colleagues estimate that the amphibian was around 1.5 meters in length and possessed a body reminiscent of a salamander. Named «Arenaepeton supinatus,» meaning «sand creeper on its back» in Latin, the newfound species is believed to have thrived in the freshwater lakes and streams of Sydney. Arenaepeton supinatus