Scientists in Argentina discovered an excellently preserved fossil of the oldest known tadpole. The fossil belongs to the larva of a frog that lived with the dinosaurs during the Jurassic period approximately 161 million years ago. According to scientists, the discovery of a 16-centimeter-long fossilized tadpole can help clarify the evolution of frogs and toads. As the fossil proves, the appearance of tadpoles has hardly changed since the time of the dinosaurs. This was reported by the Reuters agency.
Researchers found the fossil in 2020 while excavating dinosaur skeletons 2,300 kilometers south of Buenos Aires.
The specimen belongs to the species Notobatrachus degiustoi and is so well preserved that it contains soft tissue remains, which is rare. On the fossil, the scientists could clearly distinguish eyes and some nerves.
Frogs go through two stages from aquatic larva-tadpole to adult. The found tadpole was just in an advanced stage of metamorphosis. Scientists recognized it by its length.
“Not only is it the oldest tadpole in the world and amazingly well-preserved, but thanks to it we also learned about the size of one of the few frog species known from that time,” said biologist Mariana Chuliverová, who led the research, the findings of which were published in the journal Nature.
“We have also preserved a skeleton that serves as a support for the gills. This is an important discovery because it allows us to know what they ate and how they lived,” added Chuliverová.
However, according to the scientist, the most important knowledge is the fact that the body structure of tadpoles has practically not changed in 160 million years.
Source: www.tyden.cz
