Overview

• A 100-million-year-old fossilized frog with a belly full of eggs was discovered in China, marking the oldest find of its kind.
• The frog, identified as Gansubatrachus qilianensis, was found in a state of sexual maturity but skeletal immaturity, suggesting early frogs could reproduce before being fully grown.
• Researchers believe the frog likely died during mating, possibly due to suffocation or exhaustion from the male's embrace, known as amplexus.
• This discovery provides new insights into the reproductive strategies and life history of early frogs, contributing to our understanding of their evolutionary history.
• The fossil was found in the Jiuquan Basin's Zhonggou Formation, dating back to the Lower Cretaceous period, alongside evidence that rules out environmental factors or predation as causes of death.