Massinot's Triassic-Frog

Triadobatrachus massinoti

(Kuhn, 1938)
     Triadobatrachus massinoti is a very small Triassic amphibian.  Despite its Latin name, this little creature is not a true frog---it lacks the characteristic skull and strong hind legs.  T. massinoti cannot jump, but rather waddles about the marshes of the Triassic, relying on camouflage to protect it from predators.

Thanks to Chandler Gibbons for finding the species name of Triadobatrachus, Tracy Ford for giving me the name of the describer, and Jamie Headden for helping with the translation of the name.

Other sites containing pertinent information:

• Tree of life's Triadobactrachus page
• Pavel Riha's Triadobatrachus
• Triadobatrachus skeletal reconstruction on the Anurans-Evolution page
• Vertebrate Paleontology: Third Edition by Alfred Sherwood Romer, published by The University of Chicago Press in 1971.