Scientists have recreated the skull of a killer tadpole that lived before the advent of dinosaurs

Scientists from University College London (UK) for the first time managed to recreate the appearance of the ancient lizard Crassigyrinus scoticus, who lived on Earth about 400 million years ago. Their study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology.

All the discovered remains of an extinct species are highly fragmented and practically did not lend themselves to study. It was only established that this is a predator and it belongs to the first creatures that moved from water to land. He lived even before the advent of dinosaurs, when the first tetrapods began to develop from lobe-finned fish.

However, he was noticeably different from his own kind and, apparently, was aquatic animals: either his ancestors returned to the water, or they never got out on land. And the creature lived in a wetland in North America and modern Scotland, where fragments of the skull were found.

New research reveals that C. scoticus had huge teeth and powerful jaws. Although its name means "fat tadpole", it had a relatively flat body and very short limbs.

The predator reached from two to three meters in length, which, compared with other animals of that time, can be considered a gigantic size. Outwardly, he looked like a modern crocodile. And even led an identical lifestyle: he hid under the surface of the water and used his powerful jaw to attack the victims.

The reconstruction of the head also revealed that it had large eyes and distinctive lateral lines, a sort of sensory system that allows animals to detect vibrations in the water.

However, scientists are puzzled by a gap near the front of the snout. This gap may indicate that the ancient animal had other senses. Possibly rostral, found in modern fish. They can be used to detect electric fields. The presence of Jacobson's organ, thanks to which the creature could distinguish between chemicals, is not excluded.

The study was carried out using computed tomography (CT) and modern 3D imaging technologies. The team used four separate fossil samples.