At over 2.5 m (8.2 feet) in length, the newly-described stem tetrapod Gaiasia jennyae was possibly the largest creature of its kind.
Gaiasia jennyae lived in what is now Namibia during the Early Permian epoch, some 280 million years ago.
“Most ideas about the early evolution of tetrapods come from fossils discovered from the extensive coal-producing ancient equatorial wetlands of what is now Europe and North America,” said Universidad de Buenos Aires paleontologist Claudia Marsicano and her colleagues.
“But Gaiasia jennyae comes from much further south, living in an area of the southern supercontinent Gondwana at around 55 degrees south.”
The skull and jaw structure indicate that Gaiasia jennyae had a powerful bite capable of capturing large prey.
“Gaiasia jennyae was considerably larger than a person, and it probably hung out near the bottom of swamps and lakes,” said Dr. Jason Pardo, a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum.
“It’s got a big, flat, toilet seat-shaped head, which allows it to open its mouth and suck in prey. It has these huge fangs, the whole front of the mouth is just giant teeth.”
“It’s a big predator, but potentially also a relatively slow ambush predator.”
Fossils of at least four individuals of Gaiasia jennyae, including skull fragments and an incomplete vertebral column, were recovered from the Gai-As Formation in northwestern Namibia.
“When we found this enormous specimen just lying on the outcrop as a giant concretion, it was really shocking,” Dr. Marsicano said.
“I knew just from seeing it that it was something completely different. We were all very excited.
“After examining the skull, the structure of the front of the skull caught my attention.”
“It was the only clearly visible part at that time, and it showed very unusually interlocking large fangs, creating a unique bite for early tetrapods.”
“We had some really fantastic material, including a complete skull, that we could then use to…
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