A 240-million-year-old fossil of a tiny reptile named Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae, predating dinosaurs, was discovered in the UK, providing new insights into the evolution of lepidosaurs, a group that includes lizards, snakes, and the tuatara, and challenging previous assumptions about their early features.
The discovery of the 242-million-year-old lepidosaur fossil Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae in the UK challenges previous beliefs about early reptile evolution, revealing unexpected traits and suggesting a more complex evolutionary history for lizards, snakes, and the tuatara.
The article describes the discovery of Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae, the oldest known lepidosaur, which provides new insights into the early evolution of lepidosaur feeding adaptations, skull morphology, and the timing of key evolutionary events in the Triassic period, including the origin of Rhynchocephalia and Lepidosauria.