Giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever

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</span><a href="/history/palaeontology/">Palaeontology</a></p></nav> <section class="article-container cols-4 md-cols-1 cols-gap-1 padding-bottom-4"> <article class="col col-span-3 post-314591 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-palaeontology category-animals category-biology category-evolution category-history category-nature category-news tag-amphibian tag-fossil tag-frogs tag-jurassic tag-palaeontology tag-tadpole"> <header class="rows rows-gap"> <h1 class="entry-title row">Giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever</h1> <div class="row primary-image has-featured-image " data-featured-image="front-9.jpg"> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content cols-6 md-cols-1 cols-gap-1 margin-top-1"> <div class="content-left-sidebar cols-1 col"> <section class="contributors md-cols-1 rows-gap"> <div class="row post-date"> <span class="published-date">October 31, 2024</span> </div> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin/" class="author row md-hide"> <img src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0MDAgNDAwIiB3aWR0aD0iNDAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQwMCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjIlMkYwOCUyRlRoZS1TY2llbmNlLUV4Y2hhbmdlLTI0LmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSI0MDAiIGRhdGEtaD0iNDAwIiBkYXRhLWJpcD0iIj48L3N2Zz4=" data-spai="1" alt="Evrim Yazgin" width="200" /><noscript data-spai="1"><img src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/The-Science-Exchange-24.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Evrim Yazgin" width="200" /></noscript> <div class="bio"> <h3>Evrim Yazgin</h3> <p>Cosmos science journalist</p> </div> </a> <div id="author-name" class="hide"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin/" class="bio"> By Evrim Yazgin </a> </div> <div class="favourite__wrapper row cols"> <button class="showDialog simplefavorite-button" aria-label="Favourite button"> </button> </div> </section> </div> <div class="primary-content cols-1 col-span-5 col"> <div class="flexible-content "> <div class="copy"> <p>A whopping 16-centimetre-long tadpole fossil has been found – dating to the heyday of the dinosaurs.</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignleft size-full"><img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" width="453" height="665" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA0NTMgNjY1IiB3aWR0aD0iNDUzIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjY2NSIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYxMCUyRk9sZGVzdC10YWRwb2xlLWltYWdlLXNuaXAuanBnIiBkYXRhLXc9IjQ1MyIgZGF0YS1oPSI2NjUiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==" data-spai="1" alt="Illustration of two tadpoles frogs and dinosaur" class="wp-image-314582" title="giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever 1"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" width="453" height="665" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Oldest-tadpole-image-snip.jpg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Illustration of two tadpoles frogs and dinosaur" class="wp-image-314582" srcset="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Oldest-tadpole-image-snip.jpg 453w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Oldest-tadpole-image-snip-409x600.jpg 409w, https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Oldest-tadpole-image-snip-300x440.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 453px) 100vw, 453px" title="giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever 1"></noscript><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Tadpoles and adults of Notobatrachus degiustoi. Credit: Gabriel Lío.</figcaption></figure></div> <p>The find, described in a paper <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08055-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> in <em>Nature</em> today, represents the oldest tadpole in the world, adding to our understanding of the evolution of frogs and toads. It dates to 161–168 million years ago – the middle of the Jurassic period (201–145 million years ago).</p> <p>The tadpole belongs to the known ancient frog species <em>Notobatrachus degiustoi</em>. Adult fossils have been found measuring 9–15cm in length.</p> <p>It is not uncommon for tadpoles to be larger than adults. <em>Pseudis paradoxa</em>, for example, is a South American frog which lives today. Its 27cm tadpoles can be 3–4 times larger than adults. This has earned it the common names: paradoxical frog or shrinking frog.</p> <p>The tadpole specimen shows that many key features of the tadpole body present today had already evolved by the <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/earliest-example-of-a-rapid-fire-tongue/">Middle Jurassic</a>. It shows that the two-stage life cycle of anurans was already present more than 160 million years ago.</p> <p>Both <em>N. degiustoi</em> tadpole and adult reaching large sizes also shows that gigantism occurred among the earliest anurans.</p> <div class="advert ad-in-content ad-mobile auh-250"><div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca-i0p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <div class="in-content-area related-box-wrapper content-third content-right margin-bottom-1"> <div class="gradient-title">Read More</div> <ul class="related-box article-listing"> <li class="cols"> <div class="article article-post"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/palaeontology/robots-test-evolution/" class="thumbnail ar-16-9" aria-label="Article link"> <span data-spai-bg-on="1" class="image" style="background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMjAwIDY3NiIgd2lkdGg9IjEyMDAiIGhlaWdodD0iNjc2IiBkYXRhLXU9Imh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGY29zbW9zbWFnYXppbmUuY29tJTJGd3AtY29udGVudCUyRnVwbG9hZHMlMkYyMDI0JTJGMDMlMkZUaWt0YWFsaWtfTlRfc21hbGxxLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSIxMjAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjY3NiIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+)"></span> </a> <div class="article-content has-very-light-grey-background-color"> <a href="/history/palaeontology/"> <span class="category history-color"> Palaeontology </span> </a> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/palaeontology/robots-test-evolution/"> <h3>Robots test evolution in new experimental field</h3> </a> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </div> <p>Gigantism evolved several times in anuran history.</p> <a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/OP59" class="newsletter-cta" data-device="mobile"> <img decoding="async" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAzMDAgMjUwIiB3aWR0aD0iMzAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS11PSIlMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMjQlMkYwMyUyRldlZWtseS1DYXRjaHVwLTMwMHgyNTAtMS5wbmciIGRhdGEtdz0iMzAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjI1MCIgZGF0YS1iaXA9IiI+PC9zdmc+" data-spai="1" alt="Newsletter" title="giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever 2"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/q_lossy+ret_img+to_auto/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Weekly-Catchup-300x250-1.png" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Newsletter" title="giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever 2"></noscript> </a> <p>The largest ever frog, <em>Beelzebufo ampinga</em>, lived 65–70 million years ago and could reach 41cm and 4.5kg. The biggest frog today is the west African goliath frog. It can be 35cm long and weigh 3.3kg.</p> <p>The <em>N. degiustoi</em> tadpole fossil was also found in South America. The specimen was uncovered at the La Matilde Formation in Argentina’s Santa Cruz Province. The formation is in the southern part of Patagonia, near the icy southern tip of the continent.</p> <p>Unsurprisingly, the giant tadpole lived in a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/history/patagonia-dinosaur-diversity/">land of giants</a>. Fossil footprints from the La Matilde Formation include those of predatory therapod dinosaurs.</p> <p>About 500km north, in the similarly-aged Cañadón Asfalto Formation, dinosaur bones have been found from large carnivores <em>Eoabelisaurus</em> and <em>Asfaltovenator</em>, 15-metre-long sauropod <em>Patagosaurus</em>, and the small herbivore <em>Manidens</em>.</p> <div class="advert ad-in-content ad-mobile auh-250"><div id="adn-00000000001fc2ca-i1p0" style="display: none"></div></div> <p>Patagonia is where the largest dinosaurs ever lived, about 80 million years after <em>N. degiustoi</em>.</p> <p>Fossils of anurans – the family which includes frogs and toads – are sparse earlier than the beginning of the Cretaceous period 145 million years ago, which makes studying their evolution difficult.</p> <div style><a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/Q0f2"><p align="center"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-198773" 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Giant tadpole fossil from time of dinosaurs is oldest ever