Remains of ancient reptile found in Italian alps are mostly fake, UCC scientists say

The discovery has led UCC researcher Dr Valentina Rossi to urge caution when referencing the fossil in future studies.

The Tridentinosaurus antiquus, which was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931. It was long thought that the dark outline was preserved soft tissues. However, researchers have now discovered that this colouring is, in fact, paint. Picture: Dr Valentina Rossi/UCC.

A University College Cork (UCC) researcher is behind a startling discovery with the potential to redefine reptile evolution history.

Dr Valentina Rossi led the research team which determined that a 280m-year-old lizard fossil is, in part, a forgery.

Contributors based in Italy at the University of Padua, the Museum of Nature South Tyrol, and the Museo delle Scienze in Trento all formed part of the research project.

The palaeontological analysis, which took place at UCC, revealed that a renowned fossil — previously thought to shed light on soft tissue preservation — is in fact just paint.

Discovered in 1931, that same fossil was believed to have been an important specimen for understanding early reptile evolution.

The recent findings have led Dr Rossi and her team to urge caution when exploiting the fossil for research in the years ahead.

Discovered in the Italian Alps, the Tridentinosaurus antiquus was thought to be an instrumental specimen central to the understanding of early reptile evolution.

Its body outline, which appeared dark against the surrounding rock, was initially interpreted as preserved soft tissues. This led to its classification as a member of the reptile group Protorosauria.

Dr Valentina Rossi, of University College Cork, led the research team that discovered that a 280m-year-old lizard fossil is, in part, a forgery. Picture: Zixiao Yang

However, the new research — published in the scientific journal Palaeontology — reveals that the fossil renowned for its remarkable preservation is mostly just black paint on a carved lizard-shaped rock surface.

The purported fossilised skin had been celebrated in articles and books across the globe, but never studied in detail. It had left many experts uncertain about what group of reptiles such a strange lizard-like animal belonged.

A microscopic analysis shed light on the texture and composition of the material, which failed to match those of genuine fossilised soft tissues.

UV photography revealed that the entirety of the specimen was treated with a coating material.

Coating fossils with varnishes and or lacquers was historically common practice, and is still necessary in certain situations to preserve a fossil specimen in museum cabinets and exhibits.

Findings indicate that the body outline of Tridentinosaurus antiquus was artificially created, possibly to enhance the appearance of the fossil. This deception misled previous researchers, and now caution is being urged when using this in future studies.

Nevertheless, the team noted other genuine parts of the fossil. They included the bones of the hindlimbs, in particular the femurs. The new analyses also uncovered the presence of tiny bony scales called osteoderms, similar to crocodiles’ scales.

It is hoped the study can bring to an end an almost century-old palaeontological enigma that has baffled scientists.

Dr Rossi, of UCC’s school of biological, earth and environmental sciences, said: “The answer to all our questions was right in front of us, we had to study this fossil specimen in details to reveal its secrets — even those that perhaps we did not want to know.”

Others recent discoveries by palaeontologists at UCC included x-ray evidence of proteins in fossil feathers that provide insight into feather evolution.