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According to scientists, some amphibian fossils that they have recently unearthed and which lived near the Antarctic circle about 360-million-years ago might make them rethink what they previously believed about land vertebrates. These remains date from the primitive Devonian Period are their scientific names are Tutusius umlambo and Umzantsia amazana. Scientists found them at the Waterloo Farm that is Grahamstown, South Africa. The fossils are only fragments, but according to experts, these creatures most likely resembled the early amphibians. This means that they likely had four legs and the body of an alligator crossed with a fish.
They were most likely eating small fish while they were in the water and very small invertebrates on land. It seems that the Umzantsia was about 28 inches long, and it had a long lower jaw with very small but pointed teeth. As for Tutusius, it was about a yard long. Its name actually comes from the famed human rights activist and South African Anglican cleric Desmond Tutu. These creatures were part of the earliest generation of tetrapods, a group which includes all the vertebrates that dwell on land. It’s worth noting that the first ever tetrapods actually evolved from fish during the Devonian period.
Some ancient fossils might change the perspective on early land life
According to paleontologist Robert Gess, it’s now clear that by the end of the Devinoan period, tetrapods lived all over the world. They lived at the tropics and also within the Antarctic circle. Taking this into account, it’s highly possible that they originated anywhere in the world. They could have also moved in any part of the globe where there was land. Now that this discovery has been thoroughly analyzed, the list of possibilities has become almost endless. It remains to be seen what else scientists are going to discover about early land life, following this reveal.
Image source: wikimedia
