252 million years ago, ancient frogs outsmarted Earth’s deadliest extinction event, the end-Permian mass extinction. This event was even more devastating than the widely known dinosaur extinction and wiped out 90% of life on the planet. Ancient frog relatives, temnospondyls, were among the few species that survived and thrived in a world of extreme heat and environmental chaos.
Researchers from the University of Bristol studied 100 temnospondyl fossils, analyzing their body sizes, teeth, and skull features to understand how they managed to survive the extinction event. The findings revealed that temnospondyls’ success lay in their adaptability as generalist feeders, capable of eating diverse prey in freshwater habitats.
This stable food source allowed them to thrive while terrestrial predators struggled with scarce resources. Interestingly, ancient amphibians experienced a sudden increase in body sizes and ecological roles about 5 million years after the end-Permian extinction, but this diversity was temporary and later decreased.
The study provides fresh clues to answer one of the great mysteries surrounding temnospondyls’ survival and flourishing after the end-Permian extinction. The findings were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science and offer a new perspective on how ancient species adapted to extreme environments.
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/science/252-million-years-ago-ancient-frogs-outsmarted-earths-deadliest-extinction-study