Vieraella

Vieraella is an extinct genus of frogs that lived during the early part of the Jurassic period, around 180 million years ago. It was found in the Roca Blanca Formation in Argentina and is one of the oldest known true frogs.

Scientists learned about this ancient frog from a single, very well-preserved fossil. This fossil shows important details about Vieraella, such as its backbone, ribs, and parts of its arms. The bones of its skull share some features with another group of early frogs called discoglossids. Studying Vieraella helps scientists learn about how frogs evolved long ago.

Description

Vieraella lived about 188 million years ago and looked a lot like frogs today. It had strong back legs for jumping and a skull shaped like a net, just like modern frogs. Vieraella was very small, only about 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long. Although there are older frog-like animals, such as Triadobatrachus, they had simpler features and are not considered true frogs.