Fossil JQ-HX-QW-02 is extremely well preserved, including the presence of eggs within the specimen. This confirms that the frog was “parous” or pregnant at the time of death. The find is the oldest fossil evidence of a frog’s pregnancy and provides valuable insight into the frog’s reproductive behavior.
Due to the condition of the fossil and the abundance of eggs, researchers ruled out natural causes of death, such as old age or hunting. Instead, they suggested an unlikely cause of death: asphyxiation or mating-related exhaustion. Although this potential cause of death has been observed before in modern frog species, it is a first for the Mesozoic era (252-66 million years ago).
Source: Ferra
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