Scientists have discovered a strange ancient species, Tanyka amnicola, from 275 million years ago in Brazil — and its jaw is unlike anything seen today. The fossilized jaws show a unique twisted structure, with sideways-pointing teeth and inner surfaces lined with tiny denticles, likely used for grinding plant material.
Belonging to early tetrapods, this “living fossil” may have resembled a salamander and lived in freshwater environments.
The discovery challenges assumptions that most early tetrapods were carnivores, offering new insights into ancient ecosystems and evolution during the Permian period.
Read more at ScienceDaily