Paleontologists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History have unveiled a fascinating discovery - a previously unknown prehistoric species named Kermitops gratus. This 270 million-year-old amphibian, with its distinctive wide eyes and cartoonish grin, bears a striking resemblance to the beloved Muppet character, Kermit the Frog.
The tiny fossilized skull of Kermitops was unearthed from the lower Clear Fork Formation of Texas, dating back to the Early Permian Epoch between 298.9 million to 272.3 million years ago. Measuring just over an inch in length, the skull features large oval eye sockets and a charmingly lopsided smile, reminiscent of the iconic frog.
