This 231 million year old skull is a big deal, with implications for herpetologists today

Lepidosaur fossils from the Triassic period have only been found in Europe... until now. Found in South America, this primitive lepidosaur fossil offers evidence that these creatures traveled across the supercontinent early in their evolutionary history.

The fossil found was not just any lepidosaur, but the earliest one to diverge from the rest. That makes it a special scientific find, and it can provide important insights into how lizards evolved from more primitive reptiles.