Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand have made a discovery that could be the key to understanding the evolution of species from water: fossil footprints amphibian giant tetrapod Reinzukhidswhich are supposed to have inhabited the Earth more than 250 million years ago, that is, in the time preceding the era of dinosaurs.

Creature found in the province Cuazulo-NatalV South Africa, was similar to crocodiles and salamanders in body and aquatic habits. According to members of the group led by David P. Groenwaldin order to get answers to questions about this period, less known to science, it is important to learn more about these animals.

The discovery study was published in an open access journal. PLUS ONEthe content of which is peer-reviewed and reveals information about life on Earth in the period before the advent of dinosaurs and paves the way for understanding the evolution of marine animals.

The tracks, as well as the trail left by the creature, allowed scientists to estimate a length of 1.89 meters, which is only slightly less than the average for a person. Ouranocentrodonknown Triassic predator that lived between 252 and 201 million years ago.

The tracks also indicate that the animal moved both by swimming on water and walking on the Earth, with tetrapods – quadrupeds – being present in abundance in the Permian period, which preceded the Triassic and was the last in the Paleozoic era.

Connections with Modern Age Creatures and Evolution

Studying the fossils of these creatures, their origins and the functioning of the body is essential to create a clearer picture of the ancient natural world and understand how species have evolved over time. Reinzuh acted like crocodiles modernity and their evolutionary chains can have several relationships.

“The remarkable footprints and tracks provide direct evidence of how these animals moved and interacted with their environment,” the authors write in their analysis. “In addition to its remarkable scientific contribution, this study demonstrates how important paleontological discoveries are often made by curious people.”

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Via: BGR, EurekAlert! Source: PLOS ONE

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