PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK – At 220 million years old, the fossils of an unknown ancient amphibian discovered in Petrified Forest National Park are the oldest of their kind.
The Triassic amphibian was found in 2019 and recently given the name Funcusvermis gilmorei, inspired by the 1972 song “Funky Worm.” It was played often while paleontologists collected the fossils. The gilmorei part of the name honors Ned Gilmore from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
The amphibians once lived in a pond or wetland in a hot, humid forest. Now, the area is part of Arizona’s arid landscape.
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