Paleozoic cave system preserves oldest-known evidence of amniote skin
Published 11th January 2024
The first record of a skin-cast fossil from the Paleozoic Era and the earliest known occurrence of epidermal integumentary structures within the infilled cave system of Richards Spur, Oklahoma. The preserved material provides insights into the evolution of skin during the transition from aquatic to fully terrestrial environments by early amniotes.
Articulated skeleton of Captorhinus aguti with preserved linear integumentary structures above the vertebral column, this structure is interpreted as skin
Three-dimensional skin cast and compression fossils from unknown amniotes
Lepospondyl, temnospondyl, and unknown tetrapod dermal scales
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