Permian Branchiosaurus Amphibian Death Assemblage

Description: Of interest to many paleontologists are the transitional fossils of early amphibians. These creatures needed both aquatic and terrestrial environments to survive. My German fossil dealer associate kindly sent me a small batch of these rare Branchiosaurus dracyiensis amphibian fossils. These amphibians apparently come from a mass mortality horizon. What killed them in such astounding numbers is a mystery to me. The plate has specimens on both sides. There are six skulls with some backbone, and a few with some backbone and limb structures. Some residual body part hash is also preserved. The unusual white and muted purple colored specimens contrast well against the dark colored matrix.

Branchiosaurus is a genus of small, lightly built early prehistoric amphibians. Fossils have been discovered in strata dating from the late Pennsylvanian Epoch to the Permian Period. This tiny amphibian was very similar to the Rachitomi, differing primarily in size.

The first major groups of amphibians developed in the Devonian period from lobe-finned fish similar to the modern coelacanth and lungfish, which had evolved multi-jointed leg-like fins that enabled them to crawl along the sea bottom. Some fish had developed primitive lungs to help them breathe air when the stagnant pools of the Devonian swamps were lacking in oxygen. They could also use their strong fins to hoist themselves out of the water and onto dry land if circumstances required it. Eventually, their bony fins would evolve into limbs and they would become the ancestors to all tetrapods, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Despite being able to crawl on land, many of these prehistoric tetrapodomorph fish still spent most of their time in the water. Amphibians evolved adaptations which allowed them to stay out for longer periods. However, they never developed the ability to live their entire lives on land, having a fully aquatic tadpole stage and still needing to return to water to lay their shell-less eggs.