Study Reveals How Ancient Amphibians Survived Earth's Deadliest Mass Extinction

Temnospondyls, early relatives of frogs and salamanders, adapted to extreme conditions 252 million years ago by relying on diverse diets and freshwater habitats.

• The Permian-Triassic extinction event, also known as the Great Dying, wiped out over 90% of marine species and 75% of terrestrial species 252 million years ago.
• Temnospondyls, a group of primitive amphibians, survived by feeding on freshwater prey inaccessible to land-based predators and maintaining diverse body sizes and feeding strategies.
• Researchers analyzed 100 temnospondyl fossils, revealing that their body sizes and ecological roles remained stable during the crisis but briefly expanded 5 million years later before declining.
• Intense volcanic activity during the Early Triassic led to extreme global warming, creating a tropical 'dead zone' where most life could not survive, yet temnospondyls managed to cross these regions during cooler periods.
• While temnospondyls thrived temporarily after the extinction, their decline began in the Middle Triassic as mammals and dinosaurs diversified, ultimately leading to their extinction 120 million years ago.

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