Researchers discover fossilised giant predator which once survived on water and land in Namibia

Windhoek, Namibia

An international team of researchers finally found a fossilised skeleton of a giant basal tetrapod in the arid region of Namibia after three years of research.

Basal tetrapods were four-legged vertebrates which existed when the predators made the crucial transition from water to land. 

The researchers have now found the three-metre-long skeleton in the Ugab River valley which is the largest one ever discovered. Its discovery has also jeopardised the theory that early vertebrates existed only in the northern hemisphere. 

The skeleton's discovery gave scientists insight into the terrestrial animals' early evolution.

A nearly complete skeleton leaves scientists amazed

The team was surveying the rugged terrain during the fieldwork in Namibia when they made the significant discovery. 

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In a statement, study co-author Roger Smith said, "The nearly complete skeleton was preserved in mudstone from an ancient freshwater lake. As the soft tissue decomposed, gasses formed that caused calcium carbonate to crystallize around the bones, creating a hard crust that protected them from being crushed as they were buried deeper."

Meanwhile, Iziko Museum's skilled fossil technician, Sibusiso Mtungata, remembered how the discovery was made. 

“We had found isolated vertebrae of something big, so we were looking for a more complete skeleton. I came across two round cylinders of rock with bone in the middle, which fitted together – and then a third. I called Roger over to help me find more, and as we walked upslope, he spotted a large flat rock, which he recognised as the head," said Mtungata.

He added, “When we looked along the edge and saw rows of teeth, we knew we had finally found what we had been searching for – a nearly complete skull and skeleton!"

Basal tetrapod with large interlocking fangs 

Palaeontologist at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina and lead author Claudia Marsicano said that she knew it was different from other species.

“As soon as I saw this enormous animal, I knew it was a different species. There is no record of giant basal tetrapods during the Carboniferous-Permian transition (approximately 299 million years ago) anywhere in the world, and certainly none from the southern continents that made up Gondwana," Marsicano said.

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“What caught my attention next was the structure of the front part of the skull, which was sticking out of the ground. It showed unusually large interlocking fangs," she added.

The scientists suggested that it was an ambush predator who was feeding on fish which lived in the same lake.

(With inputs from agencies)