India, July 20 -- Scientists have identified a previously unknown giant salamander species from fossil bones discovered nearly 30 years ago in Japan. The ancient amphibian, named Limnospondylus ajimuensis, lived around 3.5 million years ago in freshwater lakes and measured about 3.6 feet (1.1 metres) long-almost as large as some of the biggest living amphibians today. The discovery, made by researchers from Kyoto University, sheds new light on the evolution of giant salamanders in Asia.

3.5-Million-Year-Old Fossils Were Found Nearly Three Decades Ago

The discovery is based on three fossilised vertebrae unearthed between 1995 and 1997 in the Tsubusugawa Formation in Japan's Ajimu region. The fossils remained unidentified for decades befo...