Lizards Can Be Dated 35 Million Years Earlier Than Thought
According to a study conducted in England, the existence of lizards may be 35 million years earlier than previously thought.
According to the BBC’s report, in the discovery made by the University of Bristol in England, the remains of a reptile, which has been in the warehouse of the National History Museum since the 1950s, were examined with computed tomography and three-dimensional form. it was animated.
As a result of the examination, it was revealed that the unknown reptile may be closely related to modern lizards and its origin may have been 35 million years earlier than thought.
Researcher “The fossil studied was an ordinary reptile, a close relative of the only surviving New Zealand tuatara in the Rhynchocephalia group, which split from the ‘Squamates’ 240 million years ago,” said David Whiteside.
As we continued to study the fossil and its three-dimensional form, we became more convinced that it was more closely related to modern-day lizards.” In his own words, Whiteside emphasized that this fossil is very special and “may be the most important discovery made in recent years.”
The researchers named their discovery “Cryptovaranoides microlanius”, meaning “little butcher,” in reference to the fossil’s sharp teeth.
While it is thought that the origin of lizards dates back to the Late Middle Jurassic (Jurassic) period, it was determined that these creatures may have lived in the Late Triassic (Triassic) period (237-201 million years ago).
It is stated that the examined fossil has influenced all estimates of the origin of the lizards and snakes called “Squamata” and the assumptions regarding their evolutionary speed.
You may be interested in: Ants Produce Milk!
