#Carbonized #skin #280millionyearold #fossil #turns #black #paint
Amsterdam – A fossil that has puzzled scientists for more than 90 years is not quite what it seemed to be. This is evident from an analysis of the object by a research team from University College Cork in Ireland.
© UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK
The fossil, measuring about 20 centimeters in length, was discovered in 1931 in the Italian Alps. It would be an object that is 280 million years old. It was soon hypothesized that this could be an important find that could tell us more about how reptile species evolved.
Tridentinosaurus ancient
A research team from Ireland analyzed the object, which was named Tridentinosaurus antiquus. Microscopic research now shows that it is not entirely a reptile fossil, but is in fact black paint. The outline of the so-called prehistoric animal was painted on a lizard-shaped stone with black paint by an unknown person, according to a publication in the journal Palaeontology. “By studying this fossil in detail, we finally managed to reveal the secret, but we actually preferred not to know this,” writes scientist Valentina Rossi. “What was first described as carbonized skin turns out to be just paint,” the conclusion is.
Yet the fossil is not entirely fake. Pieces of bone from the hind legs are said to appear real, but are unfortunately not well preserved. There are also small scales in the fossil, which are also found on some lizards and crocodilians.
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