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PELTOBATRACHUS
(pel-toe-ba-track-us)
meaning: "Shield frog"
Peltobatrachus
Named By: Panchen in 1959
Time Period: Late Permian, 260.4-251 Ma
Location: Tanzania
Size: 70 centimetres long
Diet: unavailable
Fossil(s): Despite the current recovered material, the teeth are still unknown
Classification: | Chordata | Amphibia | Temnospondyli | Stereospondyli | Peltobatrachidae |
About

Peltobatrachus (from Greek pelte, meaning shield and batrakhos, meaning frog) is an extinct genus of temnospondyl amphibian from the late Permian period of Tanzania.

Peltobatrachus was a large, slow moving animal, up to 70 centimetres (2.3 ft) in length. It was a fully terrestrial amphibian, only returning to the water to lay its eggs.

To protect itself against predators such as the large gorgonopsid therapsids, it had developed an armadillo-like armored plating covering its body and tail. The armor consisted of broad plates on the shoulders and hips and narrower plates on the rest of the body. Although no teeth of the creature have been found, it probably fed on insects, worms, and snails.

Read more about Peltobatrachus at Wikipedia
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