Oddest couple ever found: Amphibian and mammal forerunner share 250 million year old burrow

Phys.org ^ | June 21, 2013 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Scientists from South Africa, Australia and France have discovered a world first association while scanning a 250 million year old fossilized burrow from the Karoo Basin of South Africa.

The burrow revealed two unrelated vertebrate animals nestled together and fossilized after being trapped by a flash flood event. Facing harsh climatic conditions subsequent to the Permo-Triassic (P-T) mass extinction, the amphibian Broomistega and the mammal forerunner Thrinaxodon cohabited in a burrow.

Scanning shows that the amphibian, which was suffering from broken ribs, crawled into a sleeping mammal's shelter for protection. This research suggests that short periods of dormancy, called aestivation, in addition to burrowing behavior, may have been a crucial adaptation that allowed mammal ancestors to survive the P-T extinction...

After many impressive results obtained on fossils, synchrotron imaging has led to revived interest in the studies of the numerous fossilized burrows discovered in the Karoo Basin of South Africa and dated to 250 million years ago. The first attempt to investigate one of these burrow-casts surprisingly revealed a world-first association of two unrelated animals.

[SunkenCiv]

This image shows a mammal like reptile nestled with a primary aquatic amphibian. Credit: ESRF V. Fernandez

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

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[cripplecreek]

I believe there are a few cohabiting species around today. Seems like I’ve read that the Tutatara lizard and Kea bird of New Zealand will share a burrow.

[shove_it]

This is exactly the same thing that happens when you allow your shiftless son to dwell in your basement. There’s no telling who he will bring in to live there with him.

[Flag_This]

"...the amphibian Broomistega and the mammal forerunner Thrinaxodon cohabited in a burrow"

Cohabited? Is there evidence that they were picking out furniture together? The article suggests that the crippled-up amphibian crawled into the burrow of a hibernating proto-mammal and then they were both killed. Proto-mammal could have been dead for years before the amphibian crawled in, so "cohabited" seems like a big assumption to me.

[Starstruck]

Maybe the mammal went out and caught the amphibian for food crushing its ribs. My speculation.

[eartrumpet]

If I find a dead bird on the beach beside a dead carp, and I to marvel at the master of the skies who lived and died with the king of the deep? And was the warm-blooded bird trying to revive his cold friend by snuggling up to him?

[Mike Darancette]

dogs and cats living together

[CottShop]

precisely, apparently ‘scientists’ are depending on people’s ignorance to buy such al ine abotu cohabitaiton- apparently they think we are ca[pable of asking quesitons and iwll simply buy it because ‘a scientist said so’-

Anectdotal circumstances now pass for science I guess-

[CottShop]

[[The burrow revealed two unrelated vertebrate animals nestled together and fossilized after being trapped by a flash flood event.]]

Golly, the dead invertabrate couldn’t possibly have washed into the hole durign hte flood- nope- couldn’t happen

[SunkenCiv]

I wonder how carefully documented the “burrow” was, as well.

[ZULU]

Muslims and Humans?

[Oztrich Boy]

[gleeaikin]

During emergencies, fires, floods, torrential rains, various species that might normally be hunter and prey will often ignore that kind of relationship while seeking refuge.

[SunkenCiv]

It also happens when they’re killed together by an outside force; it also happens when one is trying to kill the other and drags it down into its burrow — but the prey is not quite dead yet. :’)