Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
Triops Longicaudatus
Triops Longicaudatus Red
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Sensational discovery in Australia: Reptile tracks call evolutionary period into question
A spectacular discovery from Australia is shaking up our current understanding of the evolution of land vertebrates. Two amateur palaeontologists, Craig Eury and John Eason, discovered fossil footprints on a 355-million-year-old stone slab that appear to be from an early reptile. This would make these footprints around 35 million years older than the reptile fossils known to date – a fact that massively calls into question the assumed time frame of evolution.
320 million year old reptile fossils
According to the Swedish vertebrate palaeontologist Per Ahlberg from Uppsala University, the imprints have clear characteristics that identify them as traces of a so-called amniote – the group of land vertebrates that can reproduce independently of water and also includes reptiles, birds and mammals. The decisive indicator: the clearly pronounced claw marks. ‘Our fingernails and toenails are basically nothing more than adapted claws,’ explains Ahlberg. The proportions of the toes and the spreading of the prints also speak in favour of a real reptile.
However, the significance of this find lies less in the fossils themselves than in their age. Until now, the oldest known reptile fossils have been dated to an age of around 320 million years. The discovery by the two Australians now pushes this limit back by a whole 35 million years – to a time when previously only amphibian-like animals that were still bound to water for reproduction were thought to have existed.
If the new dating is confirmed, this would mean that the first amniotes evolved much faster from their amphibian ancestors than previously assumed. Ahlberg emphasises how incomplete the fossil record actually is – many stages of evolution could simply still be hidden in the rock. ‘This shows us once again that we only know the past in fragments.’
Despite the scientific significance of the discovery, the story behind the find also exemplifies the value of civic engagement. While Eason was already experienced in fossil hunting, it was Eury’s first time – and it was he who discovered the inconspicuous stone slab with the significant traces. “John was specifically looking for fossilised fish. But the stone slab was preserved in a completely different way – and that’s exactly why it caught Craig’s eye,” explains Ahlberg. The two amateur researchers were even listed as co-authors in the renowned scientific journal Nature – a rare honour in the academic world.
For Ahlberg, the find is also an appeal to the next generation of researchers: “I would advise all young palaeontologists: Go out into the field! The truth is out there and sometimes it is not found by scientists with PhDs, but by curious people with an alert eye – and an open mind.”
