Oddest couple ever found

[knocker]

Amphibian and mammal forerunner share 250 million year old burrow

 

Synchrotron imaging reveals odd couple - 250 million years ago, a mammal forerunner and an amphibian shared a burrow.

 

Scientists from South Africa, Australia and France have discovered a world first association while scanning a 250 million year old fossilized burrow from the Karoo Basin of South Africa.

 

The burrow revealed two unrelated vertebrate animals nestled together and fossilized after being trapped by a flash flood event. Facing harsh climatic conditions subsequent to the Permo-Triassic (P-T) mass extinction, the amphibian Broomistega and the mammal forerunner Thrinaxodon cohabited in a burrow.

 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/uotw-oce062113.php

Edited June 22, 2013 by knocker

[Sprites]

Maybe the flood forced them to choose the nearest burrow, and they were together briefly whilst drowning.

[Gray-Wolf]

During the river floods last June the crown gathered to watch at our bridge ( before the waters passed over the bridge) saw a Mink suddenly appear feet away. Un- phased by the crowd she went back to the edge of the furious torrent and fetched up a pup and then re-entered the river to rescue a very unhappy ( screaming) second pup. She did not move far from us all and calmed the screaming infant. Normally the mink is near as hard to see as an Otter is but not under such circumstances. Thanks to the 'animal liberation' crew the Calder Valley is now being over run by mink (who are as bad as Humans for killing without need) due to a 'liberation' from a Mink farm in Elland back in the 80's. I hope they realise just what an eco tradgedy this stupid crime is now costing us in terms of losses to native species.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Gray-Wolf

[egret]

Its not uncommon for ferrets and rabbits to share a burrow , and not necessarily during a flood! Might this be evidence of the earths first gamekeeper? LoL