Researchers Find Tadpole Fossil Dating Back 161 Million Years!
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A team of scientists looking for dinosaur fossils in 2020 made a rare discovery. They found a well-preserved tadpole dating back 161 million years to the middle Jurassic period. This discovery breaks the record for the oldest known tadpole fossil by about 20 million years!
The ancient amphibian was found in Argentina's Santa Cruz Province. Encased inside a limestone slab, it was astonishingly intact. It even had eyeballs, gills, and nerves. Such preservation is rare, as tadpoles' bodies are mostly cartilage and soft tissue. These usually do not fossilize well.
“It’s not only the oldest tadpole ever discovered, but also the most exquisitely preserved,” said Mariana Chuliver, the study's lead researcher.
The tadpole belonged to a now-extinct frog species and measured about 6 inches (15 cm). This is about the same size as the adult of its species. Chuliver attributes the tadpole's large size to the abundance of food and space available during the Jurassic period. This allowed even tadpoles to grow larger than usual.
The researchers revealed their findings in the journal Nature on October 30, 2024. They note that the discovery fills an important gap in understanding frog evolution. Some scientists previously believed the earliest frogs may not have gone through a tadpole stage. But this fossil proves they did — at least as far back as 161 million years ago.
Chuliver hopes to secure more funding to return to the site and search for additional fossils, uncovering new secrets.
Resources: Smithsonianmag.com, Livescience.com
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36 Comments
- koolcid18421 dayThat is really cool and Cute and Sad that we cant See them Again
- koolcid18421 daywow that is really cool
tacoo2 daysThat’s rlly cool. And super cute. I wonder how scientists felt!- alex10003 daysIt is really cool
- skibidislicers64 daysI like tadpoles because they grow into frogs and its really cool to watch
zhxsbshb4 daysThis is a huge breakthrough for scientists and my cuteness level!
dani_the_best4 daysCUTE!
frogrica5 daysI love frorgs they are adorable
o1k2a3y6 daysThere could still be a whole lot more ancient creatures right under the ground right now if you think about it
whaleng7 daysthey still are cute!
