Koolasuchus

Koolasuchus is an extinct genus of large temnospondyl amphibians known from Early Cretaceous Australia. Its fossils show that temnospondyls survived in high-latitude environments long after disappearing from many other regions.

Temnospondyli: Temnospondyli is a diverse extinct group of early tetrapods that includes many aquatic and semi-aquatic forms. Koolasuchus belongs to this broad amphibian lineage.
Eumeralla Formation: The Eumeralla Formation is an Early Cretaceous rock unit in Victoria, Australia, containing dinosaur and other vertebrate fossils. It is among the geological units that preserve Koolasuchus remains.
Lesley Kool: Lesley Kool is an Australian paleontologist whose surname is commemorated in the genus Koolasuchus. The genus name honors Kool, who helped recover its fossils.
Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event: The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event was a global biological crisis about 66 million years ago that eliminated non-avian dinosaurs and many other groups. Koolasuchus lived tens of millions of years before this later extinction event.
Temnospondyl: A temnospondyl is a member of a diverse extinct group of early tetrapods, many with amphibian-like features. This broader anatomical category distinguishes Koolasuchus from modern amphibians.
Strzelecki Group: The Strzelecki Group is an Early Cretaceous geological unit in southeastern Australia known for fossil-bearing deposits. Its deposits include fossils attributed to Koolasuchus.
Tim Flannery: Tim Flannery is an Australian paleontologist and mammalogist known for research on Australian fossil mammals and vertebrates. He co-described Koolasuchus with colleagues in the scientific account of the genus.
Biogeography: Biogeography is the study of how organisms and ecosystems are distributed across space and through geological time. Its southern distribution informs patterns of temnospondyl survival.
Early Cretaceous: The Early Cretaceous is the first epoch of the Cretaceous Period, spanning roughly 145 to 100 million years ago. Koolasuchus lived in Australia during this interval.
Leaellynasaura: Leaellynasaura is a small herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur known from Early Cretaceous Australia. Its fossils come from the same broad polar-region ecosystems as Koolasuchus.

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