Oldest Known Fossil of a Giant Tadpole Discovered

Scientists have unraveled a piece of history with the discovery of the oldest-known fossil of a giant tadpole, offering new insights into the development of frogs. The remarkable find is dated back over 160 million years, predating previously known records by significant margins.

Imprint of a Life Formed Long Ago

Parts of the tadpole’s body are preserved in a slab of sandstone, including parts of its skull and backbone. Additionally, impressions of its eyes and nerves are visible, allowing researchers to study its anatomy with unprecedented clarity.

“It’s not only the oldest tadpole known, but also the most exquisitely preserved,” said study author Maria Wednesday of Buenos Aires’s Maimonides University. The discovery sheds light on the evolutionary process of amphibians, helping to narrow the timeline of frog development.

Evidence of Evolution and Adaptability

Up until this discovery, researchers understood that frogs had evolved millions of years ago. However, the timeline of when and how they initially took the form of tadpoles has remained hazy. This fossil provides the first tangible evidence of an early evolutionary stage of the amphibian family.

The tadpole measures about 6 inches in length and is believed to be a younger version of a long-extinct giant frog. "It’s starting to help narrow the timeframe in which a frog becomes a frog," said Ben Kligman, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Survival Strategy Over Millions of Years

The findings were published on Wednesday in the Nature journal, showcasing a snapshot of life from an era long past. The tadpole’s existence proves that frogs have had a tried-and-true survival strategy for millions of years, helping them adapt and outlast numerous mass extinctions.

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