The missing link between frog and salamander has been discovered. Called Gerobatrachus hottoni ("Hotton’s elder frog"), this animal lived 300 million years ago. That's 50 million years before the dinosaurs walked the planet.
The description of the ancient 4.5 inch amphibian that millions of years ago swam in quiet pools and caught mayflies in Texas has set to rest one of the greatest current controversies in vertebrate evolution, say scientists at the University of Calgary, who report the find in the journal Nature."The dispute arose because of a lack of transitional forms. This fossil seals the gap," says Dr Jason Anderson, lead scientist. (ref)
Of course, proponents of Intelligent Design will tell us that all this means is that we now have two more gaps in the fossil record.
Damned scientists. They are their own worst enemy.(But this is still a nice homage to the late Nicholas Hotton)
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