Discovery of a 275-Million-Year-Old Stem Tetrapod with Unique Twisted Jaw

Sun, 03 May 2026 07:18:00 +0200

Paleontologists in Brazil have uncovered fossilized jawbones from a previously unknown species dating back 275 million years, named Tanyka amnicola. Found in a dry riverbed in the Amazon, the discovery includes nine highly unusual jaws exhibiting a twisted structure, with teeth pointing outward and rows of smaller denticles lining the inner surfaces. This jaw configuration suggests that Tanyka was among the earliest herbivorous tetrapods, using its specialized teeth to grind plant material. Tanyka belongs to an ancient lineage of stem tetrapods, surviving alongside more modern vertebrates, making it a 'living fossil' of its era, similar in concept to how the platypus represents an ancient mammalian trait. While its full body shape remains uncertain, researchers estimate Tanyka could have resembled a salamander with a longer snout and reached up to three feet in length, likely inhabiting freshwater environments. This discovery sheds light on early Permian ecosystems in Gondwana, a super