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Home/Colorado Plateau News/Fossils of Strange New Species Discovered at Petrified Forest

Fossils of Strange New Species Discovered at Petrified Forest

The new species of drepanosaur, Skybalonyx skapter, emerging from a burrow in the Late Triassic at Petrified Forest. – Art used with permission by Midiaou Diallo

Announced during October’s National Fossil Day (More information – https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/index.htm) the discovery of fossil remains of a tiny burrowing reptile – something that looked like a cross between an anteater and a chameleon, and new to science – was a big media hit, appearing in local news affiliates, the Washington Post, and CNN.

The new species was named Skybalonyx skapter, a member of a group known as drepanosaurs. They lived during the Triassic Period, about 220 million years ago, during a time that predated larger dinosaurs, and when the plants that later became petrified wood once lived.

See full story at https://www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/news/new-fossils-discovered-at-petrified-forest-national-park.htm and the scientific article at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2020.1810058.

Read this full article at https://www.friendsofpetrifiedforest.org/fossils-of-strange-new-species-discovered-at-park/.


This is an excerpt from the Friends of Petrified Forest National Park’s newsletter. To find out more about the Friends and Petrified Forest Museum Association and how to get your own copy delivered, visit the Petrified Forest Museum Association website.

Published on: November 7, 2020

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