"Texas Unearths 215 Million-Year-Old Crocodile Ancestor, Dubbed Triassic Tank"
A newly discovered species of aetosaur, named Garzapelta muelleri, has been unearthed in Texas, dating back 215 million years. These armored crocodile cousins were stout-limbed beasts covered in bony plates and lived during the late Triassic period. The fossil, discovered in 1989, presents unique features that puzzled researchers in determining its place on the aetosaur family tree, ultimately leading to the conclusion that its spikes likely evolved independently through convergent evolution.