Fremouw Formation - Biota

Biota

The first tetrapod or land-living vertebrate from Antarctica was found in the Fremouw Formation and described in 1968. It was represented by a small bone fragment that is probably part of the left mandible of a temnospondyl amphibian. The bone was found the previous year by a researcher from Ohio State University who was studying the geology of the Transantarctic Mountains. The animal was later named Austrobrachyops jenseni. After its discovery, paleontological expeditions were launched to the area around the Beardmore Glacier to uncover more fossils. Since then, fragmentary remains of temnospondyls, therapsids, and archosauriform reptiles have all been found in the formation. These fossils are found around the Shackleton and Beardmore glaciers in places such as Gordon Valley and Fremouw Peak.

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