# 237-million-year-old fossils reveal a bizarre armored sea amphibian

Source: [Plants & Animals News -- ScienceDaily](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261109205409.htm) · 2026-11-11 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/237-million-year-old-fossils-reveal-a-bizarre-armored-sea-amphibian-07e631b1d71d05d5
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- Fossils dated to about 237 million years ago were discovered in China.
- The heavily armoured amphibian was roughly giant salamander-sized.
- It may be the first known amphibian adapted to a fully marine lifestyle.

## Why it matters

The find challenges the assumption that modern amphibians' inability to survive in saltwater reflects an ancient limitation, offering new evidence on how amphibians colonised marine environments.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: ScienceDaily reports the fossil discovery and its interpretation as a fully marine amphibian

## Coverage

- [237-million-year-old fossils reveal a bizarre armored sea amphibian](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261109205409.htm) — Plants & Animals News -- ScienceDaily, 2026-11-11

Tags: paleontology, amphibians, marine evolution, fossils, china

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science