After examining ancient lizards who had been remarkably well-preserved in amber, scientists concluded that today’s lizards are similar to their ancestors from millions of years ago.
The fossilized remains were especially exciting because they contained a great deal of detail. Scientists could actually see what these reptiles looked like when they lived over 20-million years ago.
“These fossils were really surprising because of how much detail they contained, allowing us to see how these lizards would have looked in real life,” said lead author Emma Sherratt of the University of New England in Australia, according to CBC.ca.
“You could have taken a lizard today, embedded it resin and it would have looked like one of these creatures. That’s how realistic and modern they look.”
The results were published this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The ancient lizards come from the anolis family, which are lizards still common to the Carribbean with over 400 species, according to Discovery News.
Anoles are an invasive species and not native to the United States. Green anoles commonly found in southern states originally came from the Caribbean, so they may be distant descendants of the ancient lizards.
Anoles scurry freely in the southern U.S. and are often kept as pets.
