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Lizards And Snakes Are 35 Million Years Older Than We Thought

Lizards are ancient creatures. They were around before the dinosaurs and persisted long after dinosaurs went extinct. We've now found they are 35 million years older than we thought they were.

Cryptovaranoides microlanius was a tiny lizard that skittered around what is now southern England during the late Triassic, around 205 million years ago. It likely snapped up insects in its razor teeth (its name means "hidden lizard, small butcher"). But it wasn't always considered a lizard. Previously, a group of researchers who studied the first fossil of the creature, or holotype, concluded that it was an archosaur, part of a group that includes the extinct dinosaurs and pterosaurs along with extant crocodilians and birds.

Now, another research team from the University of Bristol has analyzed that fossil and determined that Cryptovaranoides is not an archosaur but a lepidosaur, part of a larger order of reptiles that includes squamates, the reptile group that encompasses modern snakes and lizards. It is now also the oldest known squamate.

The misunderstandings about this species all come down to features in its bones that are squamate apomorphies. These are traits unique to squamates that were not present in their ancestral form, but evolved later. Certain forelimb bones, skull bones, jawbones, and even teeth of Cryptovaranoides share characteristics with those from both modern and extinct lizards.

So what does the new team argue that the previous team that studied Cryptovaranoides gets wrong? The new paper argues that the interpretation of a few bones in particular stand out, especially the humerus and radius.

In the humerus of this lizard, structures called the ectepicondylar and entepicondylar foramina, along with the radial condyle, were either not considered or may have been misinterpreted. The entepicondylar foramen is an opening in the far end of the humerus, which is an upper arm bone in humans and upper forelimb bone in lizards. The ectepicondylar foramen is a structure on the outer side of the humerus where the extensor muscles attach, helping a lizard bend and straighten its legs. Both features are "often regarded as key lepidosaur and squamate characteristics," the Bristol research team said in a study recently published in Royal Society Open Science.

Tiny Lizard Found In Quarry Near Bristol Is World's Oldest After 205 Million Years

A tiny lizard found in a quarry near Bristol is the world's oldest. The skeleton, unearthed from Triassic-aged rocks, has been confirmed as being at least 205 million years old in a new study.

The discovery shifts the origin of the whole lizard-snake group, called Squamata, back by 35 million years. The storeroom specimen that changed the origins of modern lizards by millions of years has had its identity confirmed after the University of Bristol team's findings came under question.

Fresh analysis, published this week in Royal Society Open Science, proves that the fossil is related to modern anguimorphs such as anguids and monitors. In the original study, Dr David Whiteside, Dr Sofia Chambi-Trowell and Professor Mike Benton, named the specimen Cryptovaranoides microlanius, meaning 'hidden lizard, small butcher' because of its identification as a lizard and its sharp teeth, probably used for cutting up prey animals for food.

The School of Earth Sciences team identified many anatomical features of the skull and skeleton that allowed them to place it well within Squamata, and even close to the Anguimorpha. "We knew our paper would be controversial," explained Dr Whiteside. "But we were confident that we had looked at every possible feature and compared it with everything we could."

Professor Benton said: "We were therefore surprised, perhaps even shocked, that in 2023 another team of academics suggested that Cryptovaranoides was not a lizard or even a lizard relative, but in fact an archosauromorph, more closely related to crocodilians and dinosaurs."

(Image: No credit)

In checking their original work, and the questions posed in the rival paper, the Bristol team explored all the data, including the original specimen as well as the X-ray scans that show the details hidden within the rock. "We had the marvellous images from those CT scans as well as further access to the fossil which enabled us to check all their suggestions," said Dr Chambi-Trowell. "We found that most of the concerns raised were wrong."

Professor Benton added: "All the details of the skull, the jaws, the teeth, and the limb bones confirm that Cryptovaranoides is a lizard, not an archosauromorph. In our new paper, we provide great detail of every criticism made and we provide more photographs of the specimen and 3D images from the scans, so everyone can check the detail."

Dr Whiteside concluded: "The result of all this had to be tested by a phylogenetic analysis. This is where we code hundreds of anatomical features in Cryptovaranoides and other modern and fossil lizards, as well as various archosauromorphs.

"We ran the analysis time after time, and it gave our original result, that the little Bristol reptile is indeed the world's oldest modern-type lizard."

Ol' Rip: The Texas Horned Lizard Who Met A US President

Texas has more than its share of tall tales, and one of the strangest involves a celebrity lizard who once took the country by storm.

AUSTIN, Texas — If you've lived in Texas for a while, you may have run across a tiny lizard with an identity crisis. Most folks call them horned toads, but they are, indeed, horned lizards.

A Texas legend has it that this kind of lizard can live 100 years without food or water, though scientists disagree.

In the small Texas town of Eastland, the belief that the little reptile could survive for years without food or water was put to the test. In 1897, a horned lizard was enclosed in a time capsule in the cornerstone of the old Eastland County Courthouse.

When it came time to open the time capsule 31 years later, the time had come to see if the lizard survived his burial. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as he was slowly pulled from his tomb. To the amazement of all, he was still alive.

They named him Ol' Rip, and he soon became the talk of the nation. Even the New York Times published a Page 1 story about his miraculous survival.

Ol' Rip became so famous that he was brought to the White House in 1928 to meet President Calvin Coolidge. It was reported that Coolidge spent a full minute without saying a word and just stared at Ol' Rip. Ol' Rip stared back. Neither blinked.

The prominent lizard died of pneumonia in 1929. But even today, he is still remembered. If you ever find yourself in Eastland, why not stop by and visit him in his tiny, red satin-lined coffin?

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