Chunerpeton

Chu-ner-pe-ton.
By John Stewart
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Stewart, J. (2014, May 2). Chunerpeton. Prehistoric-wildlife. https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/chunerpeton/

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Name

Chunerpeton ‭(‬Early creeper‭)‬.

Phonetic

Chu-ner-pe-ton.

Named By

Ke-Qin Gao‭ & ‬Neil H.‭ ‬Shubin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Amphibia,‭ ‬Cryptobranchoidea.

Diet

Carnivore/Insectivore.

Species

C.‭ ‬tianyiensis‭

Size

About‭ ‬18‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Jiulongshan Formation.

Time Period

Usually credited as mid Jurassic,‭ ‬though the true age of the fossil deposits where the Chunerpeton type specimen comes from is in dispute at the time of writing.

Fossil representation

Complete and articulated skeleton with impressions of soft tissues.

In Depth

       Chunerpeton was a key discovery as it represents the first appearance of a crown salamander in the fossil record.‭ ‬Unfortunately there has been a lot of debate and uncertainty about the true age of the fossil deposits that Chunerpeton comes from.‭ ‬Soft tissue impressions reveal that even in adult life Chunerpeton retained external gills,‭ ‬meaning that individuals of this genus spent most if not all of their time in the water.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬Earliest known crown-group salamanders‭ ‬-‭ ‬Nature‭ ‬422‭ (‬6930‭)‬:‭ ‬424‭–‬428.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ke-Qin Gao‭ & ‬Neil H.‭ ‬Shubin‭ ‬-‭ ‬2003.

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