Paleontologists excavating Late Triassic marine deposits in China have identified a bizarre, heavily armored prehistoric creature that defies the biological limits of modern amphibians. Named Gerrothorax maritimus, this three-foot-long, flattened ambush predator lived 237 million years ago and represents the first confirmed amphibian adapted to a fully marine existence. Unlike modern frogs and salamanders, whose permeable skin quickly dehydrates in saltwater, isotope analysis and skeletal anatomy reveal that its thick bony armor sealed out seawater while internal gills regulated salt balance—allowing it to lurk on the ocean floor and hunt using suction.
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