Researchers believe theyve found the oldest known fossilized skin, hidden away in a limestone cave system in Oklahoma.
The epidermis is easy to overlook, but it protects the body from the harsh external world.
All skin samples found in the cave were preserved thanks to some serendipitous circumstances.
The ancient fossilized skin discovered in Oklahoma.Image:Current Biology/Mooney et al.
That is, the epidermis already existed when early amniotes began to branch out into different forms of life.
Ancient reptiles have a dynamic history that can be extricated from fossils.
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Two Captorhinus aguti, whose skin was described in the recent paper.Photo:Wikimedia Commons
