A storeroom specimen that changed the origins of modern lizards by millions of years has had its identity confirmed.
The tiny skeleton, unearthed from Triassic-aged rocks in a quarry near Bristol, is at least 205 million years old and the oldest modern-type lizard on record.proves that the fossil is related to modern anguimorphs such as anguids and monitors. The discovery shifts the origin of the whole lizard-snake group, called Squamata, back by 35 million years.
In checking their original work, and the questions posed in the rival paper, the Bristol team explored all the data, including the original specimen as well as the X-ray scans that show the details hidden within the rock."We had the marvellous images from those CT scans as well as further access to the fossil which enabled us to check all their suggestions," said Dr Chambi-Trowell."We found that most of the concerns raised were wrong.
Animals New Species Evolutionary Biology Fossils Paleontology Dinosaurs Early Mammals
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