325-million-year-old amphibian bones discovered in County Clare10 October 2019
The fossilised bones of a tiny amphibian-like creature that scurried around the shores of County Clare 325 million years ago have been discovered.
The fossilised bones were discovered by Dr Eamon Doyle, geologist for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark and Clare County Council. The two small bones have been described by Dr Doyle and fossil vertebrate researcher Aodhán Ó Gogáin of Trinity College Dublin in the latest volume of the Irish Journal of Earth Sciences, published by the Royal Irish Academy. The article is free to download here.
The 10mm-long bones come from a leg and possibly a hip bone from a small amphibian that would have been an ancestor to the first lizards which ultimately evolved into the dinosaurs 100 million years later. The amphibian lived during a geological time called the Carboniferous Period which lasted from 360 to 299 million years ago. This is an important period in the evolution of life as it is during this time that amphibians evolved from fish and first began to colonise the land. The fact that amphibian bones are rare finds in rocks of this age highlights the importance of Dr Doyle’s discovery.
The amphibian from Clare, which would fit in the palm of your hand, probably lived along a swampy coastline, either in an estuary or along rivers further inland and may have been washed out to sea during a storm or flood, the bones eventually settling onto the muddy seafloor where they were buried and turned to fossils.
Image: Artist’s interpretation of Carboniferous tetrapod from Scotland by Rachel Carr, copyright National Museums Scotland. Inset: Fossil amphibian bone from County Clare
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Mifupa ya amfibia ya miaka milioni 325 imegunduliwa katika eneo la Clare, Uingereza, na kuonekana kama mifupa ya kiumbe cha aina ya amfibia kilichokuwa kikiishi karibu na pwani ya eneo hilo miaka milioni 325 iliyopita. Mifupa hiyo iligunduliwa na Eamon Doyle, mtaalamu wa jiolojia wa Burren na Cliffs of Moher, UNESCO Global Geopark na Clare County Council. "Kama ilivyoelezwa na Dk Doyle na Aodhán Ó Gaillam, mtafiti wa mifupa ya wanyama wenye uti wa mgongo wa Trinity College Dublin, ""Mifupa hiyo miwili ndogo imeelezwa katika toleo la hivi karibuni la jarida la Irish Journal of Earth Sciences, lililochapishwa na Royal Irish Academy." Makala hiyo inaweza kupakuliwa kwa bure hapa. Mifupa hiyo yenye urefu wa milimita 10 ilitokana na mguu na labda mfupa wa kiuno wa amfibia mdogo ambaye alikuwa babu wa mbawakawa wa kwanza ambao baadaye waliibuka kuwa dinosaurs. Amphibians waliishi katika kipindi cha jiolojia kinachoitwa kipindi cha kaboni, ambacho kiliendelea kutoka miaka milioni 360 hadi 299. Hii ni kipindi muhimu katika mageuzi ya maisha, kwani ni wakati huu kwamba amfibia walitokana na samaki na kuanza kuimiliki ardhi. Ukweli kwamba mifupa ya amfibia ni ya nadra kupatikana katika miamba ya umri huu huonyesha umuhimu wa ugunduzi wa Dakt. Doyle. Amphibian kutoka Clare, ambayo ingeweza kufaa katika kiganja cha mkono wako, pengine aliishi kando ya pwani ya mvua, ama katika estuary au kando ya mito zaidi ndani ya nchi na inaweza kuwa kuoshwa nje ya bahari wakati wa dhoruba au mafuriko, mifupa hatimaye kukaa juu ya udongo wa bahari ambapo walikuwa kuzikwa na kugeuka fossils. Picha: Tafsiri ya msanii ya Carboniferous tetrapod kutoka Scotland na Rachel Carr, hakimiliki Makumbusho ya Kitaifa ya Scotland. "Kutoka kwa ""Fossil Amphibian Bone"" kutoka County Clare, Ireland, na ""Fossil Amphibian Bone"" kutoka Ireland, Ireland, na Ireland, na ""Fossil Amphibian Bone"" kutoka County Clare, Ireland, na Ireland."