First Fossil of Ancient Antarctic Amphibian Discovered by Researchers

A Micropholis stowi fossil, an extinct amphibian, has been found for the first time in Antarctica, according to researchers. Micropholis existed during the Early Triassic period, just after the planet's most catastrophic mass extinction. It was historically only known from South African fossils. Its discovery in Antarctica has implications for how amphibians adapted to high-latitude environments during this turbulent time in Earth's history.

Alternatively, several other amphibians, such as Micropholis, may have existed in multiple regions, but paleontologists have yet to discover evidence. Although some Southern Hemisphere areas, such as South Africa, have been well sampled, others, such as Antarctica, which was comparatively temperate in the Early Triassic but is now surrounded mainly by ice sheets, have not.

In 2017-2018, Sidor's team gathered skulls and other delicate body parts from four Micropholis individuals during a collection trip to the Transantarctic Mountains. After finishing his doctorate at the University of Toronto, Gee decided to come to the UW to study amphibian fossils discovered on that journey. He completed his degree early in the pandemic and relocated to Seattle after COVID-19's second surge.

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