On a weathered cliff in a canyon in Utah, USA, the fossil of a mysterious creature with a prominent backbone has unexpectedly emerged, dating back 290 million years.
According to paleontologist Adam Marsh from Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, a member of the research team, the mysterious creature is the size of a salamander and features well-preserved vertebrae, a skull cap, some shoulder bones, and forelimb bones.
Close-up of the fossil revealed on the cliff – (Photo: Adam Marsh)
The fossil was discovered in Canyonlands National Park in Utah, USA, within a canyon. Natural erosion has exposed the fossil on a cliff, and paleontologists worked quickly to collect it before nature could further damage the remaining parts. The rock containing the fossil was removed from the cliff and will undergo CT scanning for analysis, as attempting to separate the bones could potentially damage the fossil.
According to the Daily Mail, preliminary analysis results from the research team indicate that the mysterious creature is 290 million years old and belongs to the Permian period. It may be one of the earliest reptiles ever excavated on Earth and is almost certainly a completely new species.
The rock containing the fossil was extracted from the cliff, encased in plaster, and transported to the laboratory, accompanied by a humorous caption from the paleontologists – (Photo: Adam Marsh).
This strange creature is a true treasure, as Permian fossils are extremely rare. At the end of this period (about 252 million years ago), a mass extinction event wiped out 97% of life on Earth at that time. Therefore, learning about a new species that shares many morphological traits with later species is a rare discovery.
It remains unclear how this creature is related to the reptiles and early dinosaurs of the subsequent Triassic period, but it is highly likely that this is an ancestor of one of the reptile families that survived the mass extinction and thrived to this day.
