Explore this animal in Size of Extinct Animals ↗
361 / Paleozoic
Branchiosaurus
Branchiosaurus salamandroides
Adults retained external gills, extending a juvenile condition through life.
View original image · 1600 × 1067- Time range
- About 300–290 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Permian
- Geographic range
- Freshwater lakes · Germany and Czech Republic
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Branchiosaurus?
Branchiosaurus (Branchiosaurus salamandroides) was an extinct organism known from About 300–290 million years ago, with a range in Freshwater lakes · Germany and Czech Republic.
Life and ecology
This delicate branchiosaur fed on minute prey in quiet water and rarely ventured ashore.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Branchiosaurus disappear?
Drying lake basins and changing freshwater faunas are possible context; the fossil record does not establish why this form species disappeared.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Branchiosaurus?
Growth series preserve gill denticles, arches and soft outlines from larvae to adults.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Rewrote an extinction cause that presented environmental or faunal turnover as established; it is now given as context the record does not prove.
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS