A peculiar amphibian that was clad in bony armor prowled warm lakes 210 million years ago, catching fish and other tasty snacks with one of the most unusual bites in the history of life on Earth.
The creature called Gerrothorax pulcherrimus, which lived alongside some of the early dinosaurs, opened its mouth not by dropping its lower jaw, as other vertebrate animals do.
Instead, it lifted back the top of its head in a way that looked a lot like lifting the lid of a toilet seat.
"It's weird. It's the ugliest animal in the world," Harvard University's Farish Jenkins, one of the scientists who describe the mechanics of its bite in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, said in a telephone interview on Friday.
"You almost can't imagine holding your jaws still and lifting your head back to take a bite," Jenkins said.
"There are some vertebrates that will lift their heads slightly or the upper jaws (when they bite). Some salamanders do it slightly. Some fish do it slightly. But no animal is known to have done it this extensively," Jenkins added.
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amphibian /{m"fIb.i.@n/ noun [C]
an animal, such as a frog, which lives both on land and in water but must lay its eggs in water
amphibious /{m"fIb.i.@s/ adjective 1 of or relating to a type of animal which lives both on land and in water: 2 relating to vehicles which operate both on land or in water:
amphibious animals
amphibious vehicles/aircraft
an amphibious landing/attack (= from the sea onto the land)
vertebrate /"v3:.tI.br@t/ US /"v3`:.愿-/ adjective SPECIALIZED
having a spine
vertebrate /"v3:.tI.br@t/ US /"v3`:.愿-/ noun [C] SPECIALIZED salamander /"s{l.@.m{n.d@r/ US /-d@`/ noun [C]
an animal that has a spine:
Birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles are all vertebrates.
a small animal which looks like a lizard but has soft skin and lives both on land and in water
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