Oldest reptile fossil is actually just a fake

The part-forgery (Picture: Dr Valentina Rossi/SWNS)

In a rather awkward mix-up, what was thought to be incredibly preserved skin tissue on the oldest fossil reptile from the Alps is actually, erm, paint.

The 280 million-year-old Tridentinosaurus antiquus was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931 and was thought to be an important specimen for understanding early reptile evolution.

However, new analysis has revealed that the animal’s dark body outline – initially thought to be preserved soft tissues – is just paint.

When it was first studied, the fossil was classified as a member of the reptile group Protorosauria.

But many experts were uncertain about the classification and the fossil’s history, due to the somewhat strange preservation of skin.

This prompted a team of researchers, including from Ireland’s University College Cork (UCC), to investigate.

UV photography first revealed that the specimen was treated with some sort of coating material, and microscopic analysis later showed that the texture and composition of the material did not match that of genuine fossilised soft tissues.

Palaeontologists eventually established that the fossil, once renowned for its remarkable preservation, is mostly black paint on a carved, lizard-shaped rock surface.

Dr Valentina Rossi, from UCC, said: ‘Fossil soft tissues are rare, but when found in a fossil they can reveal important biological information, for instance, the external colouration, internal anatomy, and physiology.

‘However, our findings indicate that the body outline of Tridentinosaurus antiquus was artificially created, likely to enhance the appearance of the fossil.’

Dr Valentina Rossi with an image of Tridentinosaurus antiquus (Picture: Zixiao Yang/SWNS)

Dr Rossi explained that coating fossils with varnishes and/or lacquers was the norm in the past and is sometimes still necessary to preserve a fossil specimen in museums – so the team thought the original soft tissues might lie underneath the coating layer.

‘This deception misled previous researchers,’ she explained.

Co-author Professor Evelyn Kustatscher said: ‘The peculiar preservation of Tridentinosaurus had puzzled experts for decades.

‘Now, it all makes sense. What was described as carbonised skin, is just paint.’

Professor Kustatscher, from the Museum of Nature South Tyrol which was also involved in the research, added: ‘This is an example of how modern analytical palaeontology and rigorous scientific methods can resolve an almost century-old enigma.’

The study, published in the journal Palaeontology, urges researchers to demonstrate caution when using the specimen in future studies.

But also says that the fossil is perhaps not entirely fake.

The bones of the hindlimbs, in particular the femurs, seem genuine – even if poorly preserved.

And new analyses have shown the presence of tiny bony scales called osteoderms – similar to the scales of crocodiles – on what may have been the back of the animal.

Further research is needed to confirm these findings.

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