A giant salamander — one the biggest ever known to prowl the forests of ancient Appalachia — is offering new insight into the region’s remarkable amphibian diversity. Thanks to a fossil unearthed near East Tennessee State University (ETSU), scientists now have a clearer picture of how this prehistoric predator may have helped shape the salamander communities that thrive in the region today.
The newly described species joins the growing roster of remarkable finds from the university's Gray Fossil Site & Museum. The discovery was recently detailed in the journal Historical Biology by a team of researchers from ETSU and the museum.
In the lush Southern Appalachian forests, you're likely to cross paths with one of Tennessee’s roughly 50 salamander species, many of which belong to the family Plethodontidae, or lungless salamanders. As their name suggests, these amphibians breathe through their skin, a trait that limits them to moist environments.
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