A piece of Burmese amber has revealed a completely new species to paleontology, named Electroscincus zedi.
Scientists discovered the intact body of a strange creature within a piece of Burmese amber (Burmite) located among the chalk cliffs in the Myitkyina District of Kachin State, Northern Myanmar.
It resembles a monstrous version of modern lizards, described by scientists with vibrant colors in graphic imagery.
Electroscincus zedi from the Cretaceous period – (Graphic Image: Stephanie Abramowicz)
The research team, led by Dr. Juan Daza from Sam Houston State University, analyzed the specimen and confirmed that it is indeed a lizard, belonging to the skink family Scincidae.
This family is represented by over 1,745 described species of living lizards.
According to Sci-News, dating back up to 99 million years, Electroscincus zedi is the oldest known lizard, a true lizard as we see today, not a “lizard” like the giant reptiles of the dinosaur era.
It differs from all other known scaly lizard species from the Mesozoic Era (including the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods) by having a double layer of overlapping bony scales around its body, a characteristic that helps classify it within the Scincidae family.
The creature preserved in amber measures 3 cm from snout to vent, excluding the tail.
Although not complete, it retains both postcranial bone structures and skin structures, aiding paleontologists in understanding how this lineage of lizards evolved.
The Scincidae family has exhibited diverse evolution throughout the ages, also holding the widest range in body length, including some of the smallest forms measuring just a few centimeters to the extinct species Tiliqua frangens, which could reach half a meter or more.
This newly published discovery in the journal Scientific Reports once again highlights the significance of Burmese amber.
This gemstone is not only beautiful but has repeatedly brought to light creatures that went extinct millions of years ago, particularly small organisms that are rarely preserved in conventional fossil forms.
