Arctic fossil left in 1948 identified as giant new species

A fossil discovered on Bjørnøya (Bear Island) in the Arctic in 1948 and left behind has been identified as a new species of ancient amphibian-like creature, Arctobatrachus urdensis. It is the largest known plagiosaurid, measuring about 2.7 m (8.9 feet) long. The skull alone was 70 cm wide but only 21 cm long, giving it a boomerang-like shape.

The fossil was rediscovered by a Norwegian field party in 1984 after scientists assumed the Arctic winters had destroyed it. It was excavated and later prepared at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart. Using photographs from 1948, researchers reconstructed missing parts and determined it was an active hunter and likely a top predator during the Triassic period.

Analysis shows Arctobatrachus urdensis is one of the earliest plagiosaurids, offering clues about how these flat-bodied, bottom-dwelling creatures evolved. The study, published in a scientific journal, adds to understanding of marine life around 240 million years ago.