Fossils of bizarre 220-million-year-old reptile unearthed in National Park

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The unusual Skybalonyx skapter belongs to the group Drepanosaur, often considered the ugly duckling of reptiles (perhaps partly because they bore some resemblance to fowl in life). The University of California Museum of Paleontology describes the creature's features as "seemingly drawn at random from evolution's spare parts box," with bird-like beaks and tails punctuated with a claw, almost too oddly fantastical to be real.

"It is genuinely so surprising that a site like Thunderstorm Ridge took this long to be discovered, and it's revealing a hidden diversity of ancient life at Petrified Forest," Idaho State University PhD student Xavier Jenkins said.

The fossils Jenkins and his fellow interns found were so small that they had to "screen-wash" them, meaning they broke down the rocks with water through metal screens.

They named the species Skybalonyx skapter, which in Greek means "dung-claw digger." It's fitting since its bones were "quite literally found in a deposit of fossilized poop," Jenkins said, and its claws were once perfect for digging.

 

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[GregJA 5,531]

7 minutes ago, FfFfFfFF said:

Skybalonyx skapte, Drepanosaur

Rolls right off the tongue 

 

I’m more excited (but terrified) once we have the ability to see our oceans - considering we know more about all of space then we do our own oceans 

[FfFfFfFF 58,120]

2 minutes ago, GregJA said:

 

I’m more excited (but terrified) once we have the ability to see our oceans - considering we know more about all of space then we do our own oceans 

We'll discover silent nuclear bombs detonated there without anybody knowing, tons of new species and artifacts and the incineration plant where Gaga burned ARTPOP ACT 2, Frankensteined and Babylon Haus Labs Demo all lying there.

[freebit 6,264]

8 minutes ago, GregJA said:

Rolls right off the tongue 

 

I’m more excited (but terrified) once we have the ability to see our oceans - considering we know more about all of space then we do our own oceans 

The ocean terrifies me tbh