Creature named for Kermit the Frog offers clues on amphibian evolution

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Scientists described the fossilized skull of a creature called Kermitops gratus, that belongs to a lineage believed to have given rise to the three living branches of amphibians - frogs, salamanders and limbless caecilians

There definitely were no muppets during the Permian Period, but there was a Kermit – or at least a forerunner of modern amphibians that has been named after the celebrity frog.

Amphibians are one of the four groups of living terrestrial vertebrates, along with reptiles, birds and mammals. The unique features of the Kermitops skull – a blend of archaic and more advanced features – are providing insight into amphibian evolution. Kermitops had a rounded snout, not unlike frogs and salamanders. Preserved in its eye sockets were palpebral bones – or eyelid bones – a feature absent in today’s amphibians. Its skull is constructed of roof-like bones, in contrast to the thin and strut-like bones of modern amphibians.

“Kermitops, with its unique anatomy, really exemplifies the importance of continuing to add new fossil data to understanding this evolutionary problem,” said National Museum of Natural History paleontologist and study co-author Arjan Mann.

 

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