Fossils reveal a new species of burrowing reptile with features of an anteater and chameleon that lived 220 MILLION years ago in what is now the Petrified Forest National Park
- Tiny fossils found in Arizona once belong to a new species of an ancient lizard
- Skybalonyx skapter is a new drepanosaur that spent most of its life underground
- It was about two feet long, with a tail lined with claw-like features
Fossils belonging to new species of a small burrowing reptile that walked the Earth 220 million years ago have been discovered the Petrified Forest National Park located in Arizona.
Named Skybalonyx skapter, the prehistoric creature is a new species of drepanosaur that resembled both an anteater and chameleon.
Researchers found its hand claws look similar to some modern-day burrowing animals such as moles and are much different from other drepanosaurs that have claws for climbing trees.
The ancient reptile also has enlarged second claws, a bird-like beak and tail lined with spikes.
The team believes it dug in the ground like tortoises and ground squirrels roaming the planet today.
Fossils belonging to new species of a small burrowing reptile that walked the Earth 220 million years ago have been discovered the Petrified Forest National Park located in Arizona
Petrified Forest National Park outside Holbrook is considered one of the premiere places to study plants and animals from that period, sometimes known as the dawning age of dinosaurs.
The fossils were discovered by a team of researchers from the park, Virginia Tech, the University of Washington, Arizona State University, Idaho State University and the Virginia Museum of Natural History.
Due to their small size, the team did not find them through traditional methods, but used a series of metal screens and water to sift and break down rocks to find the fossils.
Researchers believe the Skybalonyx skapter is a fossorial, which is a creature that spends most of its life underground.
Researchers found its hand claws look similar to some modern-day burrowing animals such as moles and are much different from other drepanosaurs that have claws for climbing trees (pictured is a concept image)
The ancient reptile also has enlarged second claws, a bird-like beak and tail lined with spikes. The team believes it dug in the ground like tortoises and ground squirrels roaming the planet today
The fossils were found in the Petrified Forest National Park located in Arizona
It likely had similar digging movements to moles, along with tortoises.
The team also notes in the study that it had shovel-like digging movements to that of a ground squirrel.
‘Skybalonyx skapter unguals would have been well adapted to digging during the creation of burrows, excavation of food, and other forms of moving soil or dirt,’ reads the study.
Drepanosaur was neither a dinosaur nor a lizard and had forearms with a bird-like head on what looked like a chameleon-like body.
The create was about two feet long with grasping feet and a claw-like structure at the tip of its tail.