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Scientists Find Fossilized Ancestor of All Scaled Reptiles, And It's Absolutely Tiny
Science Alert ^ | August 27, 2021 | Clare Watson, Nature

Posted on 08/29/2021 7:49:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

Lepidosaurs are scaled reptiles such as lizards, snakes, and New Zealand's tuatara, which together represent the most diverse group of land-living vertebrates alive today. Yet little is known about their early origins compared to the other arms of reptilian evolution which produced crocodiles, birds, and turtles... The fossil, found in Ischigualasto Provincial Park in northwest Argentina, is about 11 million years younger than the oldest known lepidosaurs from Europe, but one of the best-preserved specimens of its kind, which means the team can have more confidence in their analyses... It's a lucky find, especially considering the origins of lepidosaurs have been a gaping hole in evolutionary knowledge because of an "extremely patchy early fossil record comprising only a handful of fragmentary fossils", mostly found in Europe and often poorly preserved, the research team explains... In a cross-continental effort, the research team examined the skull's structure using a high-resolution micro-CT scanner and analyzed the images. The Taytalura skull had unique teeth and an unusual combination of features the team was not expecting to find in such an early specimen, preserved in three dimensions of astonishing detail... Some of its features resembled modern tuatara more than living lizards and snakes, which suggests the latter actually represents a major deviation in evolution – not so much the tuatara living on windswept New Zealand islands... What's more, the discovery of Taytalura in Argentina suggests that early lepidosaurs were probably able to migrate much further than previously thought – across thousands of miles on the ancient supercontinent Pangea that later split into the continents we see today: Europe to the north and South America in the opposite hemisphere.

(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: argentina; crevo; fauxiantroll; fauxiantrolls; godsgravesglyphs; lepidosaurs; lizards; mesozoic; missingtransitions; newzealand; oldearthspeculation; paleontology; reptiles; snakes; storkzilla; tuatara; youngearthdelusion
Taytalura alcoberi. (Jorge Blanco, Gabriela Sobral and Ricardo Martínez).
Taytalura alcoberi. (Jorge Blanco, Gabriela Sobral and Ricardo Martínez).

1 posted on 08/29/2021 7:49:08 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

2 posted on 08/29/2021 7:49:33 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Some have said birds evolved from reptiles.
Perhaps this was one of those missing links between the two species. Dramatic changes in physical structure and end usage were more easily and more quickly done with smaller animals such as this critter here.


3 posted on 08/29/2021 7:57:22 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: lee martell; Salamander

They’re saying crocodilians, birds, and turtles were a different branch.


4 posted on 08/29/2021 8:07:20 PM PDT by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
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To: All

it’s almost as if these completely different animals were created instead of evolved from a common ancestor.


5 posted on 08/29/2021 8:14:38 PM PDT by BipolarBob (Biden: "I did it but it's Trumps fault".)
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To: SunkenCiv


I got better.
6 posted on 08/29/2021 8:15:11 PM PDT by Trillian
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To: gundog

They’re saying crocodilians, birds, and turtles were a different branch.


All classification is very artificial.

Nemotodes are classed by cutting off their rear ends and smashing them on a slide and looking at the patterns.

I always thought that would be a good way to classify people.


7 posted on 08/29/2021 8:17:25 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
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To: PeterPrinciple

LOL


8 posted on 08/29/2021 8:27:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: lee martell; Salamander; gundog
Jim Stafford Spiders and Snakes | July 12, 2008 | Alan C
Jim Stafford Spiders and Snakes | July 12, 2008 | Alan C

9 posted on 08/29/2021 8:30:20 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: BipolarBob

Or God directed the evolution.


10 posted on 08/29/2021 8:38:50 PM PDT by bwest
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To: SunkenCiv

I remember that song. It was a huge hit.
I think he performed it on Hee Haw.


11 posted on 08/29/2021 8:50:45 PM PDT by lee martell
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To: SunkenCiv

Yes. Not only that, but these tiny cold blooded reptiles are actually president and vp of our country.


12 posted on 08/29/2021 9:01:59 PM PDT by FlyingEagle
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To: SunkenCiv

Ancestor of all scaled reptiles.

And they did not pull that assumption out their fannies.


13 posted on 08/29/2021 9:32:53 PM PDT by lurk ( )
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To: lurk

#13. Take all the makeup off of Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters, and what do you have - the direct living descents of the Lepidosaurs.


14 posted on 08/29/2021 10:12:18 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: SunkenCiv
The name comes from the Greek word lepis (genitive form lepidos), meaning "scale" or "husk." Lepidotos, "scaly" or "covered with scales" was used of crocodiles and fish.

Lepidosaurs were not the only animals with scales.

The related word lepros meaning "scaly," "scabby" or "rough" is the source of the English word "leprous" (as in leprosy).

15 posted on 08/30/2021 9:26:12 AM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Verginius Rufus

Thanks VR.


16 posted on 08/30/2021 9:35:16 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Colonel Sanders could have made something tasty out of it.


17 posted on 08/30/2021 8:00:41 PM PDT by Redcitizen
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Modern snakes evolved from a few survivors of dino-killing asteroid
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2021/09/modern-snakes-evolved-from-a-few-survivors-of-dino-killing-asteroid/141370


18 posted on 09/18/2021 9:46:03 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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