Gerrothorax
| Gerrothorax Temporal range: Late Triassic
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| Gerrothorax pulcherrimus | |
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| Genus: | Gerrothorax
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| Species: | G. pulcherrimus
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Gerrothorax ("Wicker Chest") is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the Triassic period of Sweden.
Gerrothorax was about 1 metre (3.3 ft) cock, and had a remarkably flattened body. It probably hid under sand or mud on river and lake bottoms, scanning for prey with its large, upward-facing eyes. Gerrothorax had an unusually shaped skull with angular protrusions on the sides. This looked vaguely similar to the skull of the earlier, unrelated, amphibian Diplocaulus, but was not so developed.[1]
Fossils have shown that Gerrothorax was pedomorphic, retaining its larval gills as an adult. This is also seen in some modern-day salamanders, such as the mudpuppy, the axolotl, and the olm. Gerrothorax had three pairs of external gills allowing it to breathe under water.[1]
A 2008 study showed that Gerrothorax lifted its head rather than dropping its jaw when catching prey, which has been compared to how a toilet seat opens.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 53. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
- ^ Gerrothorax pulcherrimus from the Upper Triassic Fleming Fjord Formation of East Greenland and a reassessment of head lifting in temnospondyl feeding FARISH A. JENKINS, JR., NEIL H. SHUBIN, STEPHEN M. GATESY, and ANNE WARREN, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 2008, 28(4):935–950
- ^ http://www.vertpaleo.org/news/permalinks/2008/12/11/PRESS-RELEASE---Heads-Up-in-the-Triassic/
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