All articles tagged with #captorhinus aguti
A 289-million-year-old mummy fossil of Captorhinus aguti from Oklahoma shows a complete rib cage and cartilage sternum, preserved in three dimensions, providing the oldest evidence of costal (rib-based) respiration in amniotes and suggesting this rib-powered breathing system underpins modern reptiles, birds, and mammals; neutron tomography enabled the reconstruction of its early breathing apparatus.
Paleontologists have found the oldest known fossilized reptile skin, dating to about 289 million years ago in Oklahoma’s Richards Spur cave. The tiny skin fragment, preserved by oil-based substances and low-oxygen conditions, shows crocodile-like scales and suggests early reptiles had water-conserving skin long before dinosaurs; researchers think it likely belonged to Captorhinus aguti, with future work aiming to link the skin to a full skeleton to better understand early amniote life on land.