Latest news with #JohnLong
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Reptile history rewritten with discovery of footprints 40 million years older
Image source: A groundbreaking fossil discovery in northern Victoria, Australia, is shaking up paleontology. Fossilized footprints from the Carboniferous Period, around 359 million years ago, suggest that reptiles may have roamed Earth much earlier than previously believed. This find significantly predates the oldest known reptile fossils, pushing the reptile evolutionary timeline back by millions of years. Professor John Long of Flinders University notes that these trace fossils challenge established theories about the origins of reptiles. The discovery not only provides new insights into reptile development but also prompts a major reevaluation of evolutionary history, particularly regarding early life forms. Some interesting facts about reptiles Footprints of reptile forebears Experts suggest that the tracks indicate these creatures may have emerged around 350 million years ago, pushing their existence back by 40 million years compared to earlier records. One set of partial prints displayed clear claw marks, suggesting these animals were true reptiles rather than amphibians. Another set featured a smaller front foot and a larger hind foot, a characteristic commonly seen in land-dwelling vertebrates. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Excel in Finance Dynamics IIMK-AF Apply Now Undo Gondwana 's role in reptile evolution For years, scientists have examined the southern supercontinent Gondwana, where early four-limbed vertebrates left behind their remains and tracks. The recent find in Victoria supports the idea that key evolutionary milestones took place in these areas. At that time, Australia was a central part of this landmass, and its warmer climate may have contributed to the emergence of new adaptations in reptile ancestors. Rethinking the reptile evolution timeline Paleontologists study says that fossil footprints to gain insight into the movement of ancient animals, with features like clawed toes helping to distinguish whether a creature was a reptile or an amphibian. "This pushes back the origin of crown-group amniotes by at least 35-40 million years," said Professor John Long. The research emphasizes how crucial footprints are in reshaping our understanding of evolutionary timelines. Reptiles belong to the amniote group, which also includes birds and mammals. The claw marks found in these fossilized tracks point to a full transition from aquatic environments, a defining feature of reptiles. While many scientists once believed that amniotes originated in the Northern Hemisphere, these footprints challenge that idea and raise new questions about the spread of early reptiles across ancient landscapes. Transforming landscapes and the diversity of animals Researchers are planning to survey other regions of Victoria for additional trace fossils that could help fill in the gaps of this ancient record. They are hopeful that new discoveries will clarify how these early creatures adapted to life on land. The discovery of more trackways could offer new insights into how reptiles diverged from amphibians. Each new footprint holds the potential to reveal crucial details about posture, movement, and survival strategies. The Carboniferous Period, which lasted from around 359 to 299 million years ago, was a time of dense swamp forests, giant insects, and elevated oxygen levels in the atmosphere. At that time, the configuration of landmasses was different from today's. Some scientists believe that shifting coastlines may have created distinct ecological niches, driving the evolution of new adaptations in response to changing environments. Environments and habitats of reptile predecessors Some reptile ancestors likely ventured onto solid ground, while others remained in aquatic environments. With limited evidence of this transition, every fossil footprint holds significant value. Even one single impression can reveal how early amniotes balanced their bodies or positioned their tails. The size, depth, and spacing of the prints provide important clues about their speed and range of motion. A single fossil slab discovered in Victoria has reignited the debate over reptile origins. Researchers propose revisiting older formations to check if more reptile evidence has been overlooked in the past. Professor Long and his team highlight the need for additional fieldwork to confirm whether reptiles emerged simultaneously in multiple regions. They argue that this discovery shows how a single trackway can challenge and refine our understanding of early amniotes. Investigating further reptile trace fossils Future digs could uncover more footprints from the early phases of reptile evolution, shedding light on how quickly these creatures adapted to life on land. Advances in technology, like high-resolution scanning, allow for more precise analysis of the details in each print, helping paleontologists reconstruct entire ecosystems from a few fossilized traces. Laser scanning is commonly used in footprint analysis to capture 3D images, revealing intricate features such as fine ridges that suggest muscle strength or toe flexibility. Rare skin patterns found in the footprints can also provide insights into the texture of scales. Each layer of mud or sand offers valuable clues about the environmental conditions that existed at the time. Reptiles' first steps onto land Before the evolution of amniotes, vertebrates like fish and amphibians depended on water for reproduction. Over time, the development of eggs with protective membranes allowed animals like reptiles to move onto land. This transition laid the groundwork for the diversification of reptiles, birds, and mammals into numerous forms. These footprints represent an important link in that long evolutionary process. Researchers are comparing the new prints with known trackways from synapsids and early amphibians. Key differences include the curvature of the toes and the presence of claws. Synapsids, which eventually gave rise to mammals, left broader footprints with distinct digit spacing, while reptile-like tracks typically feature sharper claw impressions. Ancient Tracks of Reptile Ancestors These ancient footprints link today's wildlife to distant ancestors that once roamed muddy shores. Each mark sparks curiosity about how life first adapted to land. Studying these steps can also reveal key insights into the broader course of evolution. The early success of reptiles, after all, laid the groundwork for the eventual rise of dinosaurs and other land-dwelling creatures. Scientists stress that no single find tells the full story. Tracks, fossils, and environmental clues must all come together to create a clearer picture of the past. Though the record is still incomplete, new discoveries in unexpected places continue to fill in the gaps. Every fresh footprint offers a rare window into a time of rapid evolutionary transformation. Also read: Discover the world's smallest snake measuring only 10 centim ..
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Citizen scientists score major fossil find in Victoria
A group of amateur fossil hunters in Victoria has uncovered fossilised tracks left in a slab of mud, which have been dated to 365 million years ago, 35-40 million years older than the previously oldest known evidence of trackways or skeletal remains of an early reptile. The trackway was found in the Snowy Plains Formation in the Mansfield area of Victoria and was left by a goanna-like creature with claws. Palaeontologist John Long describes the find as another great step in evolution traced to Australia - a stunning world first of great significance. Guest John Long Professor of Palaeontology Flinders University Adelaide SA Presenter Robyn Williams Producer David Fisher
Scientific American
15-05-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
Newly Discovered Fossil Tracks May Rewrite Early History of Reptiles
Fossil claw prints found in Australia were probably made by the earliest known members of the group that includes reptiles, birds and mammals, according to a study published in Nature today. The findings suggest that this group — the amniotes — originated at least 35 million years earlier than previously thought. Early amniotes evolved to lay eggs on land, because they were encased in an amniotic membrane that stopped them drying out. Before this study, the earliest known amniote fossils had been found in Nova Scotia, Canada, and were dated to the mid-Carboniferous period, about 319 million years ago. The latest findings suggest that amniotes also existed in the early Carboniferous period, around 355 million years ago. 'This discovery is exciting, and if the tracks have been interpreted the right way, the findings have important implications for our understanding of tetrapod evolution,' says Steven Salisbury, a palaeontologist at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. The tracks The claw tracks were found in a sandstone block on the bank of the Broken River at Barjarg in the state of Victoria, by two co-authors of the paper who are not professional scientists. This area of the river is known as Berrepit to the Indigenous Taungurung people who own the land. The sandstone block is part of a larger structure that had already been dated to the early Carboniferous on the basis of radiometric and tectonic evidence. Fossilized tracks of aquatic invertebrates and fish found in the same layer were also dated to this time period. The three sets of tracks in the study have clear footprints with indentations from claws, a feature of reptiles but not of amphibians. 'Having these hooked claws on the trackways indicates they're definitely a reptile-like animal,' says John Long, a palaeontologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia. There are no marks of dragging bellies or tails, and the authors suggest that the amniotes that left the tracks were able to keep their bodies and tails off the ground while they walked on land. But Salisbury questions that interpretation, because it would mean the animals had developed sophisticated structures for complex locomotion, which would be surprising given how early they are. 'It seems more likely that the tracks were made by an animal that was 'punting' in shallow water, rather than walking on land,' he says. Common ancestor Until now, evidence suggested that the last common ancestor of modern amphibians and amniotes lived around 352 million years ago. But if the ancestors of reptiles existed during the early Carboniferous, their split from amphibians must have occurred even earlier, says Long. Dating by the team suggests that the groups diverged in the Devonian period, about 380 million years ago. To estimate the probable time of divergence, Long and his colleagues used several dating methods. One included geological evidence from radioactive decay in volcanic rock layers above and below the fossil tracks. They also used molecular phylogenetics, which compares similarities and differences in the DNA of living species to estimate their evolutionary relationships and how recently their last common ancestor lived. The discovery could also shift the origin of amniotes to the Gondwana landmass. This formed the southern portion of the Pangaea supercontinent and gave rise to multiple current landmasses, including Africa and Australia. Previously, the earliest known amniotes were found in North America, leading palaeontologists to think that the group originated in the Northern Hemisphere. But more evidence from Australian fossils is needed before definitively shifting their origin site, says Long. 'Australia is a vast area with fewer palaeontologists on the ground,' Long says. 'We've got a lot more unexplored fossil sites where new things like this keep turning up.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Newly discovered claw-mark fossils suggest reptiles evolved earlier than we thought
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Reptiles as we know them today may have evolved about 30 million years earlier than we initially assumed, new footprints reveal. According to a study published Wednesday (May 14) in the journal Nature, fossilized tracks found in Australia may have been left by the clawed feet of a small reptile-like creature about 350 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period. This new discovery would push back the evolution of these animals by roughly 30 million years, as early reptiles were previously thought to have evolved around 320 million years ago. "Once we identified this, we realised this is the oldest evidence in the world of reptile-like animals walking around on land — and it pushes their evolution back by 35-to-40 million years older than the previous records in the Northern Hemisphere," study co-author John Long, a strategic professor of palaeontology at Flinders University in Australia, said in a statement. "The implications of this discovery for the early evolution of tetrapods are profound." Modern reptiles, along with birds and mammals, are part of a group of animals known as amniotes, which are defined as tetrapod vertebrates (four-limbed animals with backbones) that lay eggs equipped with a protective membrane that surrounds the embryo. This so-called amnion allows eggs to be laid on land, freeing early land animals from dependency on water for reproduction. This is in contrast to amphibians, which rely on moist environments to reproduce. Related: Which animal species has existed the longest? Amniotes evolved from amphibian-like ancestors, with the earliest amniote body fossils being dated to the late Carboniferous Period, which spanned from approximately 359 to 299 million years ago. These early amniotes, which were small, lizard-like creatures, then diversified into two groups: synapsids and sauropsids, which evolved into the earliest ancestors of mammals and reptiles, respectively. Based on the fossil record, amniotes were thought to have evolved around 320 million years ago. However, this new discovery of clawed amniote footprints in Australia from 350 million years ago throws these estimations hugely off. "I'm stunned," study co-author Per Ahlberg, a professor of paleontology at Uppsala University, said in a statement. "A single track-bearing slab, which one person can lift, calls into question everything we thought we knew about when modern tetrapods evolved." These footprints were discovered on a 20-inch (50cm) rock slab by two amateur palaeontologists in the Snowy Plains Formation in Australia's Victoria, which dates back to 350 million years ago. The footprints appeared to have been made by a creature with clawed feet and long toes, likely an early sauropsid, meaning that reptiles may have been around much earlier than we assumed. "Claws are present in all early amniotes, but almost never in other groups of tetrapods," Ahlberg said. "The combination of the claw scratches and the shape of the feet suggests that the track maker was a primitive reptile." These footprints are the earliest clawed prints ever discovered. "When I saw this specimen for the first time, I was very surprised," study co-author Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki, a researcher at Uppsala University, said in the statement. RELATED STORIES —'Exquisitely preserved' ginormous claws from Mongolia reveal strange evolution in dinosaurs —See the reconstructed home of 'polar dinosaurs' that thrived in the Antarctic 120 million years ago —Hoatzin: The strange 'stinkbird' born with clawed wings that appears to be an evolutionary 'orphan' Pushing back the tree of reptilian evolution, the researchers concluded that reptiles may have actually evolved towards the end of the Devonian period, when primitive fish-like creatures like Tiktaalik roamed the land. "It's all about the relative length of different branches in the tree," Ahlberg said. "In a family tree based on DNA data from living animals, branches will have different lengths reflecting the number of genetic changes along each branch segment. This does not depend on fossils, so it's really helpful for studying phases of evolution with a poor fossil record." Niedźwiedzki added: "The most interesting discoveries are yet to come and that there is still much to be found in the field. These footprints from Australia are just one example of this."
ABC News
14-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Earliest-known 'reptile' footprints discovered by amateur fossil hunters in Victoria
Builder Craig Eury and winemaker John Eason were fossil hunting near the Victorian town of Mansfield when they spotted some footprints on a slab of rock. "It was literally the footprints that caught my eye — the light hit the rock in way that cast a shadow on the footprints," Mr Eury said. It turns out the footprints they discovered back in 2021 were made by an early relative of most land-based creatures — known as an amniote — according to a study published today in the journal Nature. John Long, a palaeontologist at Flinders University who led the study, said the fossil could help scientists understand when our animal ancestors first left the water to become land dwellers. Not only is the fossil the earliest-known amniote, Professor Long believes it may even be evidence of the earliest-known reptile. "It's almost certain that what we have are the earliest reptile trackways," he said. Mr Eury and Mr Eason — both study co-authors — discovered the footprints on the bank of Broken River in the Victorian Alps. Dated to be approximately 356 million years old, the trackway is 40 million years older than previous fossils. This means reptile-like creatures were walking on land in the earliest Carboniferous period, a time where vast swamp forests dominated Earth and most animals, like amphibians, lived at least partially in water. Claw imprints in the trackway were the "dead giveaway" that the footprints did not belong to an amphibian, according to Professor Long. "It's a characteristic of terrestriality, because it often implies you're climbing trees, or you need the claws of for digging … that amphibians just don't normally do." Anne Warren, an emeritus professor of palaeontology at La Trobe University who was not involved with the research, agrees. "This new track is undoubtedly from an amniote because there are five digits on the front foot, and these are clawed. In amphibians there are four anterior digits without claws," she said. "The find is of immense importance to our understanding of when and where the main vertebrate [group] evolved." The textbook-sized sandstone block shows two sets of tracks travelling in the same direction, one with well-defined paw prints and one less defined, claw-like marks. The team suggest both prints were made by the animal walking through the area — with the well-defined foot prints being made first, and the claw marks made later after the ground had begun to harden. But Anthony Romilio, a University of Queensland palaeontologist who specialises in trackways not involved in the study, was not so certain. He suggests the animal may have been swimming not walking. "I see [tracks like these claw-like marks] across a variety of different animals, when the animal is supported by water," Dr Romilio said. However Professor Long disagrees. "All of these thoughts were raised by reviewers and weighed up," he said. "In our opinion … the sharp claws digging in the second trackway are too precise to suggest they were digging or clawing the sediment underwater." More fossils from the same area and time frame might shed more light on the reptile-like creature, and whether it was walking or swimming through the mud. According to Professor Long, there's unlikely to be a shortage of fossils in the area known as the Snowy Plain Formation to uncover. "Certainly, the area is so vast that there is potential to find more of these trackways or even the bones of these creatures," he said. This discovery is particularly special for Professor Long, who has a long-time connection to the location where the fossils were found. "I'm so excited by this discovery because it comes from an area that I did my PhD and my honours thesis on 45 years ago," he said. "You've got this big, vast area of red carboniferous rocks in the basin there in Mansfield and you can still find world class fossils there." Years ago, Professor Long started giving talks at the local Mansfield library about the areas' fossils and had even gone on field trips out to the sites. "You plant the seed and encourage people to go out looking, and eventually they find something truly wonderful," Professor Long said. Mr Eason had been among those that had attended back in 2008 and retained his interest in fossil hunting, bringing Mr Eury into the fold. Mr Eury said he found the experience "surreal". He travelled to Sweden with the trackway so researchers from Uppsala University could study them.
