A fossil found on an Australian chicken farm has been identified as a new species of Triassic amphibian. The fossil, which dates back 240 million years, was first seen by a 12-year-old boy who is now part of the team that identified the new species. The discovery sheds light on the amphibians that lived in the freshwater streams of the Sydney basin. RNZ reported
A previously unidentified fossil, which was discovered on a chicken farm in Australia thirty years ago, has been determined to belong to a completely new species. Paleontologists have identified the fossil as a type of Triassic amphibian that lived in the freshwater streams of the Sydney basin approximately 240 million years ago. Professor Lachlan Hart, who first encountered the fossil as a twelve-year-old and is now a PhD student at UNSW, is part of the research team that has successfully identified the new species. Hart discusses the discovery in an interview with Jesse.
Photo: Richard Freeman
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After thirty years, a fossil that was discovered on an Australian chicken farm has been officially identified as a new species. The fossil, believed to be from a Triassic amphibian, inhabited the freshwater streams of the Sydney basin around 240 million years ago. Professor Lachlan Hart, who first encountered the fossil as a child and is now a PhD student at UNSW, is part of the research team that has successfully determined the fossil’s species. In an interview with Jesse, Hart discusses the significance of the discovery.
Photo: Richard Freeman
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