www.sciencedaily.com
A groundbreaking 242-million-year-old fossil from Devon, Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae, is challenging established theories about early lizards. Detailed synchrotron scans revealed a unique combination of primitive features and unusual, oversized, blade-like teeth, differing from expected lizard characteristics like skull hinges and palate teeth. This discovery forces scientists to reconsider the evolutionary origins of lepidosaurs, the expansive group encompassing all modern lizards and snakes. Agriodontosaurus’s unexpected morphology provides vital new insights into the early diversification and evolution of this hugely successful lineage.
