Discovered ancient amphibians with giant heads that use sticky tongues to catch prey

Chemnitzion richteri was discovered at the site of an ancient petrified forest and is thought to have roamed the Earth 300 million years ago.

Given Earth's long history and humanity's limited knowledge of paleontology, it's clear that we still have a lot of unknowns about the history of our planet's animals. And recently, modern researchers have discovered fossils that provide evidence supporting the existence of previously undiscovered creatures. Accordingly, German scientists have identified the remains of an extinct species of amphibian that has been discovered, but could not be identified before.

This new species, known as Chemnitzion richteri, was discovered at "Frankenberger Road in Chemnitz-Hilbersdorf, right where the local fire station is today," said Ralph Burghart, Chemnitz city official, as reported by The Florida Star. said.

The Chemnitzion richteri used an ambush strategy to feed.

According to researchers in Germany, the Chemnitzion richteri used an ambush strategy to feed. With a huge head and small body, this creature evolved 300 million years ago in the forests around eastern Germany. The new species has been unearthed by scientists at an excavation site located in what used to be a fossil forest.

This site is now the site of a fossil forest with ancient amphibians that lived about 300 million years ago. The researchers consider this fossil forest to be one of the most important archaeological sites of the region.

The team that made the historical discovery included scientists and researchers from Chemnitz, Freiberg, Schleusingen and Berlin.

The general makeup of this species is significantly different from that of any known insectivorous amphibians.

Experts say amphibians thrived in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic, about 400 million to 120 million years ago. According to experts from the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History and Freiberg University of Technology, the German species has short legs and a large head. The scientists stress that the general makeup of this species is significantly different from that of any known insectivorous amphibians.

Experts from the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History and Freiberg University of Technology say the newly identified ancient creature has short legs and an extremely large head, and describe it as a species of "eating animal." bugs".

Museum curator Thorid Zierold said: "It was able to launch its large and powerful tongue out of its mouth to catch insects similar to how modern frogs still do. classified it as a member of the amphibian group 'Labyrinthodontia', an Ancient Greek word for toothed labyrinth".

Chemnitzion richteri used an ambush strategy to hunt ancient insects and other arthropods, which were once a species that flourished in the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic, the researchers say.

Over time, during the Paleozoic era, the dramatic change in Earth's topography as the continents shifted and the planet's climate underwent major changes caused many strange species to appear on the planet. our planet. According to Live Science, the evolution of life on Earth during this period coincided with periods of extremely warm weather and then a prolonged ice age. Around this time, the Earth was ruled primarily by marine invertebrates - the most famous being the trilobite.

The later Paleozoic periods saw the rise of terrestrial life, especially ferns, the first trees, and creatures that ranged in appearance from lizards to snakes. Along with arthropods, the Earth appeared many of the first land animals and ancient ancestors of arachnids.

Arthropods began to dominate the Earth's lands, and over the course of millions of years, gradual evolutionary changes saw more diverse species emerge, including the Chemnitzion richteri.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the Mesozoic Era occurred immediately after the Paleozoic and created a multitude of new life. This period is also known as the "age of the conifers", the Mesozoic era was mainly ruled by dinosaurs and includes the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Along with these giant creatures, our planet also witnessed the appearance of giant flora blooming all over the surface.

If the researchers' estimates are correct, then Chemnitzion richteri would co-exist with many of the dinosaurs famous in film and television.

Furthermore, while Chemnitzion richteri appears to be similar to other amphibians, the scientists emphasize that its general makeup is distinct from that of other insectivorous amphibians.

Therefore, the researchers decided to classify it as a separate species. Ronny Roessler, director of the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History, informed the press that a 3D model of the Chemnitzion richteri will be on display soon.

The Chemnitz Fossil Forest is one of the most important paleontological sites of the region. With 300,000 objects on display, the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History is one of the largest and most famous institutions of its kind in eastern Germany.