Meet Stenokranio boldi! Albuquerque-based researcher on team discovering new amphibian species

Mar. 12—The world is one of discovery.

An Albuquerque-based research associate is part of an international team of researchers who discovered a new species of carnivorous amphibian that lived nearly 300 million years ago.

Meet Stenokranio boldi.

Stenokranio boldi — named for the Greek "stenos" and "kranio," meaning "narrow-skulled" — was discovered in rocks in Rhineland-Palatinate, in southwestern Germany, that date back to the Carboniferous period.

Scientists believe Stenokranio grew to nearly 5 feet long and weighed more than 150 pounds. Alongside early forerunners of mammals, Stenokranio was one of the largest known predators of its time.

Larry Rinehart, New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science research associate, worked with researchers from Urweltmuseum GEOSKOP in Thallichtenberg, Germany; Naturhistorisches Museum Schloss Bertholdsburg in Schleusingen, Germany; and other international partners who published a paper in the Journal of Paleontology identifying the newly discovered amphibian.

"Not only does this discovery increase our understanding of life before the dinosaurs, but it also demonstrates the value of international collaboration in paleontology," said Anthony Fiorillo, the New Mexico museum's executive director. "We're proud to see our museum listed alongside prominent organizations from all over the world on discoveries like this one."

As an amphibian, this species was able to live and hunt in water and on land.

Long before the emergence of crocodiles, Stenokranio lived as a lurking predator in and on the edge of tropical waters.

In terms of body shape and lifestyle, the animal occupied the ecological niche of the later crocodiles, preying on fish and other small animals.

Stenokranio had three pairs of large, backward-curved fangs and hundreds of tiny teeth on its palate, which were used to hold on to slippery prey.

Amphibians like Stenokranio were one of the dominant groups of animals alive nearly 300 million years ago, during what's now known as the boundary between the Permian and Pennsylvanian periods, during the Paleozoic Era.

The museum's newest permanent hall, "Ancient Life," is designed to showcase life in New Mexico during the Paleozoic, with fossils from 500 million years ago until the time of the dinosaurs.

It is slated to open later in 2024.