Palaeozoic amphibians
Fossil of Apateon pedestris, a 7cm-long larval amphibian. This 300-million-year-old specimen is so well preserved that you can see the entire outline of the body, the shape of the long tail, the eyeballs and even the faint impression of gills.
There are numerous Palaeozoic highlights in the fossil amphibian collection at the Natural History Museum.
Carboniferous material
British Carboniferous material in the collection includes:
- the only 3D skull of a baphetid
- the most complete specimen of the stem-tetrapod Crassigyrinus
- several specimens of the earliest temnospondyl, Balanerpeton, from East Kirkton, Scotland
The collection also includes significant Carboniferous material from:
- Jarrow, Ireland, including the type specimen of Procochleosaurus
- Joggins, Nova Scotia, including the type specimens of
- Dendrerpeton
- Trachystegos
- Linton, Ohio, including many figured specimens
Permian material
Early Permian material from Germany includes:
- about 20 Archegosaurus-bearing concretions from Lebach
- a collection of temnospondyls from Odernheim-am-Glan, Germany, donated by Herman Credner. The specimen of Apateon pedestris from Niederhäslich shows soft tissue preservation and form.
Permo-Triassic material
As a result of early collecting in the British Empire in the 19th century, the collection includes a range of significant Permo-Triassic temnospondyl amphibians from:
- the Karroo of South Africa, including the type specimens of
- Batrachosuchus
- Lydekkerina
- Rhytidosteus
- Micropholis
- India, including the type specimen of Brachyops
- Australia, including the type specimens of
- Bothriceps
- Trucheosaurus
- Paracyclotosaurus