Argentina: Rare 2-million-year-old frog fossil reveals details about evolution of toads

Palaeontologists in Argentina have discovered 2 million-years-old rare species of frog, according to the science and technology agency at the La Matanzas national university. The study published in an open Irish research journal (thejournal.ie) revealed that the fossilized remains of a rare species of frog sensitive to the climate change were found that divulged key details about the evolution of frogs and toads millions of years ago. 

"We know very little about prehistoric frogs and toads, said Federico Agnolin," a researcher at the Natural Science Museum said in a statement in the published study. Further, he added, "Frogs and toads are very sensitive to climate and environmental changes, which makes them an important source to understand past climates."

"The prehistoric creature consisted of fossilized remains of a rare species of frog,” according to the researcher Angolin. Discovered in San Pedro, around 180 kilometres to the north of the capital Buenos Aires, the fossil was excavated 44 meters (144 foot) underground and was identified as the Anuras, the ancient tailless amphibians.  

Earlier, scientists excavated the fossils of the Prehistoric frogs in the amber surface which was 99 million years old in the sticky tree resin that got trapped during the Age of the Dinosaurs. Palaeontologists found the amber from Myanmar, containing skin, scales, fur, feathers or even whole amphibians, according to a study published in the journal Nature. 

These amber fossils provide direct evidence that frogs inhabited wet tropical forests before the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous, lead author Dr Lida Xing, the China University of Geosciences in Beijing, said in the journal.

Further, Dr David Blackburn,  University of Florida, the co-author of the research said, “being small and living in a tropical forest makes the likelihood for these creatures ending up in the fossil record pretty low”. "Frogs have been around on earth for approximately 200 million years," he added. 

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Oldest existing frogs are 'Electrorana Limoa'

Researchers had named the oldest existing frogs as Electrorana Limoa, and they also found plants, spiders and insects in the ambers. There were even marine molluscs, suggesting frogs lived in a humid, warm, tropical forest ecosystem that contained freshwater lakes, as per the study.  

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