A 240 million-year-old Fossil discovered by an Australian Chicken Farmer in the 1990s has been identified as a stout amphibian with tusks and “gnarly teeth”. The fossil, found by Mihail Mihailidis while washing down a sandstone slab, has puzzled scientists for almost 30 years. Recently, it was identified as a “heavyset” amphibian measuring 1.2 meters in length, resembling a crocodile and a giant salamander. The creature, named “Arenaerpeton supinatus”, likely fed on freshwater fish using its sharp teeth and fang-like tusks on the roof of its mouth. The fossil is part of a group of extinct animals known as “temnospondyls” that lived before the dinosaurs.

The fossil was x-rayed with the help of Australia’s border force, using a large scanner typically used for searching cargo. The discovery was made near Umina Beach, around one hour’s drive north of Sydney. The finding received widespread media attention, with Time Magazine suggesting it could shed light on human evolution. The Australian Museum paleontologist, Matthew McCurry, described it as one of the most important fossils found in New South Wales in the past 30 years, contributing to Australia’s fossil heritage. The findings have been published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

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