Anaschisma is a metoposaurid temnospondyl amphibian from the Late Triassic of the United States of America. It was officially named in 1929 by Edward B. Branson and Maurice G. Mehl. It was one of the most common amphibians of Triassic North America, and it was once called "Buettneria" (right before being renamed to Anaschisma due to "Buettneria" already being occupied by a now-defunct genus of katydid).
Physiology[]
Anaschisma resembled the generic temnospondyl, with 4 legs, a long tail similar to that of a tadpole, a bulky body, a big, semi-flat head with big jaws, and eyes on the top of its head. However, it had one difference; its eyes were situated near the tip of its snout, giving it a frog-like appearance (unlike those of other temnospondyl amphibians, which were placed in a more normal position). Its body would have been covered in smooth skin.
Diet[]
Anaschisma was a predator, preying on fish, crustaceans, small reptiles, and smaller amphibians. Its sharp teeth were used for piercing flesh, getting a hold of struggling prey, and cracking bone.
Ecology[]
Unlike most other amphibians (which were capable of moving around on land), Anaschisma was almost fully aquatic, using its limbs to navigate around dense weeds and underwater obstacles a great deal of the time. This comes from the fact that its limbs were somewhat weak, although they still capable of performing rudimentary dragging on land (unlike those of the fully aquatic Mastodonsaurus); as well as this, it had a lateral line that was able to detect changes in water pressure (usually made from the movements of swimming animals), allowing it to home in on prey detected from the slightest movements. Another discovery that confirms this is the massive bone beds that have shown that Anaschisma individuals died en masse when pools dried up during deadly droughts and the amphibians gathered together, waiting for the water to be replenished. As well as this, Anaschisma would have been an ambush hunter, lurking near underwater plants and waiting for prey to come by; once they did, it would use its tail to burst out of the underwater vegetation and swallow them whole with its large jaws.