Two nearly complete fossilized skeletons of the strange new species were found in southwestern China. Scientists suspect its marine lifestyle was an evolutionary accident

October 29, 2026 11:09 a.m.

The newly described species, Gerrothorax maritimus , was around 30 inches long. Ryosuke Motani / UC Davis

Amphibians are known for straddling two worlds, dwelling on land and in water at different points in their lives. In fact, their name means “ double life ” in Greek. But no amphibian species has ever been known to reside exclusively in a marine environment—until now.

Two nearly complete fossilized skeletons found in southwestern China hint that an armored amphibian lived in the prehistoric salty waters there some 237 million years ago, researchers report in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution on October 26.…