The Fremouw Formation is mostly Triassic in age, with the oldest rocks dating back to the latest Permian.

These trunks comprise an intact fossilized forest, allowing for an estimation of the distribution of plants and tree cover.

The structure of the plants shows no adaptation towards cold tolerance, suggesting that the climate was much warmer in the Triassic.

Around the world, the fossil record of many tetrapod groups is absent or very limited in Early Triassic rocks, implying a major decline in diversity after the extinction.

All of these tetrapods are present in Early Triassic strata of the Fremouw Formation, suggesting that Antarctica served as a refugium for these animals.

During the extinction, global temperatures rose and the supercontinent Pangea moved northward, putting pressure on populations that could not adapt to the warming climate.

Antarctica, while much warmer in the Early Triassic than it is today, was cooler than other parts of Gondwana and may have been more hospitable to tetrapod populations.

Antarctica's milder climate allowed many groups to take refuge in the region while other populations experienced decline.

In the Early Triassic, many Fremouw Formation tetrapods had smaller body sizes than their Permian ancestors, and many were adapted for burrowing.

[3] The bone was found the previous year by a researcher from Ohio State University who was studying the geology of the Transantarctic Mountains.

[9] These fossils are found around the Shackleton and Beardmore glaciers, in places such as Gordon Valley and Fremouw Peak.