Oldest skin fossil found. What animal was it? What's special?

Here comes another interesting discovery that excited a team of paleontologists from the University of Toronto Mississauga. The team of these proud paleontologists from the University of Toronto Mississauga claim that they have found and identified the oldest fossilized reptile skin in the world ever discovered. The team was successful in discovering the fossilized skin in a cave in Oklahoma. The age of the fossilized skin of a reptile is estimated to be more than over 286 million years old. An interesting discovery was made in the Richards Spur cave system. This is a distinct area of Oklahoma that is specifically fit to preserve fossilized remains.

 The fossil

It is a rarely found soft tissue fossil. The possibility of finding such a fossil is something that doesn't just happen too often. It can be estimated that the age of the fossil is older than the oldest dinosaurs.

As per Ethan Mooney, the lead study author, oxygen levels and sediment deposits in caves make the process of decomposition delayed. The lead study author studies at the University of Toronto as a master's degree student in paleontology.

Studying the fossils was not easy. The researchers found a set of delicate specks. At first, Tea Maho, a biologist from U of T, considered it as bone. However, this assumption was wrong. Examination done by microscope threw light on the fact that the discovery was not a bone but actually a piece of reptile skin. An inner dermis layer is also found in the fossil. This layer is rarely preserved.

What animal's skin is discovered?

Well, it is not easy to say what animal's skin is found. However, Mooney and Maho think that they can make a strong assumption. The two researchers think that the skin belongs to the Captorhinus aguti. The Captorhinus aguti is a lizard-like animal. The creature was most commonly found in the area during the Permian Period. The creature had a tail and four legs. The length of the creature was about 10 inches long. The animal was actually omnivorous. The researchers assume the fossils to be of the Captorhinus aguti as the actual fossils of this animal have been found on the same site, and the skin samples are similar.

What other aspects are special about the discovery?

Well, the skin found is actually the oldest reptile skin found ever. However, Mooney also claims that the freshly found specimen is actually also the oldest amniote skin ever discovered.

What makes the discovery even more special is the fact that while the specimen is 289 million years old, it is similar to the skin of present-day crocodiles, as per the study. For instance, both have a pebble-like texture.