Results of Research on Animal Life 40 Million Years Before Dinosaurs

Scientists have concluded from extensive research on several fossil samples that before the emergence of dinosaur species, a large-bodied animal with very large canine teeth and a resemblance to modern salamanders was the absolute ruler of the seas. Researchers state that this predatory creature was larger than a human, likely around two and a half meters long, and hunted its prey using its large, broad head and canine teeth. The length of this animal's skull bone was probably about 60 centimeters. Maile Kwaits, a zoology professor at the University of Chicago who participated in this research, said, 'Its head and jaw acted like a large stapler.' This research was conducted on fossils from four animals, including parts of their skulls and spines, which were discovered about a decade ago, and the results were published on Wednesday, July 4, in the scientific journal 'Nature.' Scientists believe that this species existed about 40 million years before the appearance of dinosaurs. Scientific research on the oldest predatory animals aimed at finding the origins of species referred to as quadrupeds has been underway for several decades. Common scientific hypotheses suggest that 'quadrupeds' are the first animal species that lost the fins specific to aquatic animals during evolution or genetic mutations and instead developed fingers. This change allowed them to migrate from water to land. They are believed to be the origin of subsequent lineages of vertebrates on land, including amphibians, birds, and mammals, including human species. Most fossils of ancient 'quadruped' species have previously been discovered in areas that were warm and had large coal deposits during prehistoric times, which are now located in Europe and North America. However, the fossils that form the basis of the new research were discovered in an area that is now Namibia. The age of the fossils is about 280 million years, dating back to a time when this part of the African continent was covered by ice layers. If we take this new evidence as a basis, we can conclude that the early 'quadrupeds' lived in the cold regions of the Earth much earlier than previously thought. This discovery raises new questions about how and when these species dominated the land of the Earth. Claudia Marsicano from the University of Buenos Aires and one of the senior researchers of this study said, 'The early stages of the story of the emergence and life of quadrupeds are much more complex than we thought.' This prehistoric animal has been named 'Gaiasyia geniae' because its fossil was discovered in a rocky mountain called 'Gai-as' in Namibia. Jennifer Clarke, a deceased paleontologist who had researched the evolution of 'quadrupeds' for years, discovered these fossils over a decade ago.