Apologies to all fans Ancient Tridentosaurus, thought to be a well-preserved lizard from 280 million years ago.a new one The paper was published in “Paleontology” It is believed that early reptilian fossils are actually fake.
This striking rock was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931; against the dark background, the soft tissue of the limbs and tail appear perfectly untouched by time.
“Unique preservation method Triodontosaurus “It has puzzled experts for decades,” said Evelyn Kustatscher, a paleontologist at the South Tyrol Museum of Nature at University College Cork. release. “Now, it all makes sense. The so-called carbonized skin is just paint.”
As they say, Womp womp. Fossils have long been thought to provide information about the evolution of early reptiles, but it turns out that the soft tissues thought to be well preserved are actually more modern. Ultraviolet imaging of the specimen showed it was coated in a layer of varnish, or varnish, but researchers still hope there are remnants of animal soft tissue underneath. Unfortunately, there is only paint. The team believes that the painter of the fossil (whoever they were) did this to make the specimen look more impressive.
That’s right: This fossil isn’t a complete fake. The researchers found that the animal’s hind limb – the femur – looked legitimate, albeit poorly preserved. The team found what appeared to be osteoderms, the bone skin that makes up scales, on the animals’ backs.
“Soft tissue fossils are rare, but when found within fossils, they can reveal important biological information such as external color, internal anatomy and physiology,” said Valentina Rowe, a paleontologist at University College Cork and leader of the team. Valentina Rossi said. release. “The answers to all our questions are right in front of us, and we must study this fossil specimen in detail to reveal its secrets—even the ones we might not want to know.”
Of course, it took us 93 years to find answers to the nature of this dubiously solid specimen. But the important thing is that the facts win out.
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