Kryostega

Kry-o-steg-ah.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Kryostega ‭(‬Frozen roof‭).

Phonetic

Kry-o-steg-ah.

Named By

C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Damiani‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Hammer‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Amphibia,‭ ‬Temnospondyli,‭ ‬Stereospondyli.

Diet

Carnivore/Piscivore.

Species

K.‭ ‬collinssoni‭

Size

Preserved portion of the skull‭ ‬27‭ ‬centimetres long by‭ ‬21‭ ‬centimetres wide.‭ ‬Reconstructed skull length estimated at‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter.‭ ‬Total body size extrapolated from the reconstructed skull length estimated at about‭ ‬4.5‭ ‬meters.

Known locations

Antarctica,‭ ‬Transantarctic Mountains‭ ‬-‭ ‬Fremouw Formation.

Time Period

Olenekian of the Triassic.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

In Depth

       Kryostega is one of the growing number of temnospondyl amphibians that are now known from Antarctica.‭ ‬With a reconstructed body length estimated to be about four and a half meters long,‭ ‬Kryostega is so far one of the largest temnospondyl amphibians known to have lived in Antarctica during the Early Triassic,‭ ‬and a candidate for being a key apex predator here at that time.‭ ‬Possible prey animals for Kryostega would include anything from fish and other temnospondyl amphibians,‭ ‬to possibly even land creatures such as cynodonts and other therapsids.‭

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new Triassic temnospondyl from Antarctica and a review of Fremouw Formation biostratigraphy.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬28‭(‬3‭)‬:656-663.‭ ‬-‭ ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor,‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Damiani‭ & ‬W.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Hammer‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT