Ancient amphibian fossils found in Tasmania, Australia

This video is called Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus) Pt. 1.

Part 2 is here.

From the Australian Broadcasting Corporation:

Rare amphibious fossils unearthed in Tasmania

A set of fossils 245 million years old has been found in south-eastern Tasmania.

The skulls of amphibious creatures that resemble giant salamanders were found by a bushwalker at low tide.

The location of the fossil site is being kept secret, although two skulls have been removed for display at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

Museum geologist Dr Patrick Bender says it is the state’s most significant find in 25 years.

“This site, we’ve found three really good specimens, we know there are up to 10 specimens that are lying preserved under the surface there that need proper excavation,” he said.

“There’s only about six specimens of this type of animal known in the world so it’s very exciting for the global scientific community.

“It looked very similar to the modern-day giant salamander and it would have lived in an environment where there was quite a lot of water.

“The rocks tell us that these fossils were fresh water, so they would have lived next door to rivers and being an amphibian they would have had to lay their eggs in water.”

Apparently, the fossils are from the early Triassic.

From the same period, fossil amphibian from Antarctica: here.

Two new mastodonsaurid temnospondyls are described from the Early to Middle Triassic Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Upper Beaufort Group (Karoo Basin) of South Africa: here.