News · 24 July 2026
New giant salamander species discovered from 3.5-million-year-old fossils
Scientists in Japan have identified a new genus and species of giant salamander, Limnospondylus ajimuensis, from fossils found nearly 30 years ago. Limnospondylus ajimuensis lived about 3.5 million years ago in lakes and wetlands, potentially reaching 1.1 metres in length. The discovery helps fill a 20-million-year gap in the Asian fossil record of giant salamanders and suggests they were once more diverse.
Reported by dailystar.co.uk · How we write briefs