Amateur paleontologists have discovered the world’s oldest known fossilized skin. The surprisingly preserved envelope belonged to a reptile that lived 45 million years before the first dinosaurs.
“We have it from time to time an exceptional opportunity to take a look at the depths of time”says first author Ethan Mooney, a University of Toronto paleontology graduate student who worked on the project as an undergraduate with University of Toronto paleontologist Robert Reisz. “These types of discoveries can really enrich our understanding and perception these pioneer animals“he adds in the press release.
Skin fossils are rare
The discovery is unparalleled. Why, it is very rare to find leather fossils, especially this old one. For good reason, it is made up of soft tissues that are more likely to break and therefore to disappear, compared to the bones.
For a skin to fossilize, several factors must come together : high levels of minerals, absence of oxygen, fine sediments and other preservatives. This is the case of this fossil. Low oxygen levels and the presence of fine clay sediments are allowed in the cave slow down the decomposition process of the body shell of the reptile. It’s not all. Oil leaks may have played a role: the hydrocarbons contained in natural mineral oil help its preservation.
“A layer of clay quickly covered the bodies, the lack of oxygen slowed down the degradation process and oil impregnated fabrics, making them less subject to bacterial contamination”sums it up New York Times that transmits the study.
Learn more about early amniotes
The most surprising thing is that this fossil is that of an animal having lived 45 million years earlier first dinosaurs. He was one of the first amniotes, the group of terrestrial vertebrates which includes reptiles, birds and mammals and which take their name from the fact that the embryo and fetus are protected by an amniotic sac. Their ancestors still lived in the oceans.
This discovery also allows us to improve understand the evolution of the skin. “The discovery of such an ancient fossil skin is an exceptional opportunity to delve into the past and see what the skin of some of these early animals might have looked like.”assures the young paleontologist Ethan Mooney.
With his team he discovered that the upper layers contained keratinpresent in human hair and nails. The epidermis shows characteristics similar to the skin of fossil and modern reptiles such as crocodiles and snakes.
On the other hand, they don’t have it could clearly identify the species linked to the fossil, having found no bones or teeth that could facilitate their work.
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2024-01-16 13:00:00
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