The Truth About the World's Oldest 205 Million Year Old Lizard

The ancient lizard Cryptovaranoides microlanius has been officially confirmed as the "ancestor" of the reptile family with a lifespan of up to 205 million years.

For years, a tiny fossil skeleton has been the subject of fierce debate, as scientists argue back and forth over the true identity of a Triassic creature found in a quarry near Bristol, UK. Photo: @UK SOUTHWEST.

According to Dr. David Whiteside, the lead author of this study, the small reptile was originally found in a British quarry in 2022 and was named Cryptovaranoides microlanius. Photo: @David Whiteside.

At around 205 million years old (at least), Cryptovaranoides microlanius is declared the world's oldest lizard by Dr. David Whiteside. Photo: @David Whiteside.

However, when this news was announced, it caused some fierce debate in the scientific community. Photo: @David Whiteside.

There is an opposing view that Cryptovaranoides microlanius is not a lizard, or even a relative of lizards, but is actually a sauropod dinosaur, more closely related to crocodiles and dinosaurs. Photo: @David Whiteside.

Faced with such fierce debate, Dr. David Whiteside and his colleagues recently returned to the quarry near Bristol, UK to continue their research, examining more fossil evidence and other information related to Cryptovaranoides microlanius. Photo: @Head On Out.

The team also returned to the original fossil specimens, and high-tech archaeological X-rays and CT scans revealed additional Cryptovaranoides microlanius fossils hidden beneath a boulder. Photo: @David Whiteside.

The results showed that most of the objections were wrong, all the details of the skull, jaw, teeth and limb bones confirmed that Cryptovaranoides microlanius was a lizard, not a sauropod dinosaur. Photo: @David Whiteside.

And Cryptovaranoides microlanius is not closely related to crocodiles or dinosaurs. Photo: @David Whiteside.

Dear Readers, please watch the video : Discovering the cause of the mammoth's extinction. Video source: @Thanh Nien Newspaper.

(According to iflscience)

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/su-that-ve-than-lan-205-trieu-nam-tuoi-gia-nhat-the-gioi-post1545543.html