Creature Named for Kermit the Frog Offers Clues on Amphibian Evolution

FILE - The Muppets character Kermit the Frog shown here on Aug. 4, 2015, was the inspiration for the name of an amphibious creature that lived 270 million years ago in what is now Texas.

There definitely were no Muppets during the Permian Period, but there was a Kermit — or at least a forerunner of modern amphibians that has been named after the celebrity frog.