Car Sized Salamanders
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh announced an exciting new discovery today of a car sized amphibian which resembles a modern salamander that has been unearthed at a Portuguese dig site. Think of your friendly salamander that scurries across the sidewalk on a hot summer day, now imagine that salamander about 6 feet long with hundreds of extremely sharp teeth and may have eaten dinosaurs that wandered a little too close to the water. Its head alone was the size of a coffee table.
This species, dubbed Metoposaurus algarvensis, was a vicious predator at the top of the food chain during its time on earth some 200 million years ago. Researchers hypothesize that the fall of this monster could have opened the door for dinosaurs to begin their dominance of the animal kingdom.
The site in southern Portugal is reportedly absolutely full of bones and other remains. Some call it a mass grave, reporting that perhaps hundreds of these massive salamanders may have died at the same time when a lake dried up. It took the team involved nearly 6 years to get this super salamander unearthed, and there are still more treasures waiting to be removed, some of which may include additional previously undiscovered species.
This new species isn’t the biggest of it’s kind. In fact, many other similar species have been discovered. What makes this one special is its location. It is the first time that any such species of amphibian was discovered in southern Europe. This new knowledge alters what scientists previously understood about where monster amphibious lived. If you find yourself traveling in the beautiful Algarve region of Portugal, you may be able to catch a glimpse of this special dig site and get in touch with your inner paleontologist on the edge of an unassuming old cliff.
A discovery like this truly begs the question, what else is out there that we haven’t found yet? The very ground beneath your feet could be holding a historical goldmine from millions of years ago, with clues to how life on the planet used to be. Keep on exploring – you never know what you might find.
