Archegosaurus BIRUG 4180

BIRUG 4180 shows the skull of *Archegosaurus*. This animal lived during the Permian (~299–252 million years ago), and was a member of Temnospondyli; a group of tetrapods (animals with four limbs), from which modern amphibians are thought to have evolved. *Archegosaurus* looked very similar to modern slender-snouted crocodylians, such as the gharial. It grew to almost 2 metres in length and most of its body was covered with bony scales. Recent research suggests that *Archegosaurus* was more aquatic and fish-like than previously thought; much of its skeleton remained cartilaginous until late growth stages – providing poor support for movement on land (Witzmann & Schoch, 2005). It also depended on its gills and partially its lungs for gas-exchange – rather than its skin, like modern amphibians – due to its covering of impermeable bony scales (Witzmann & Brainerd, 2017). This specimen is from near Lobbach in Baden-Württemberg, Germany and was digitised by Andrew Jones using an Artec Spider 3D scanner.