Scientists have found fossilized reptile skin in the United States that existed even before the appearance of dinosaurs
Scientists find fossilized reptile skin in the United States. Source: Current Biology Mooney
Paleontologists have discovered the oldest fossilized skin of an unknown creature that lived before the first dinosaurs.
A study by scientists from the University of Toronto Mississauga, published in the journal Current Biology, states that a fragment of fossilized reptile skin was found in a limestone cave in Oklahoma (USA). The find is approximately 289 million years old, CNN reports.
Scientists have identified a fragment of skin similar to that of a crocodile and a lizard. This is the oldest known specimen of preserved epidermis, which is the outer layer of skin of terrestrial reptiles, birds, and mammals. The epidermis "was an important evolutionary adaptation during the transition to life on land," the researchers note.