280m years’ old lizard fossil declared historic hoax — Who painted the picture?

In a shocking twist, palaeontologists have declared that a 280 million-year-old reptile fossil that baffled scientists for decades is a hoax, the Independent reported.

After the species known as Tridentinosaurus antiquus was examined, it was discovered that the material previously believed to be intact, prehistoric soft tissue was only black paint.

The 1931 discovery of the lizard-like creature, which was around 20 cm (8 in) in length, in the Italian Alps was considered a significant discovery that would provide insight into the evolution of reptiles.

The amazing preservation of the reptile was originally attributed to a process of fossilisation known as carbonisation, which is usually used among plant specimens rather than animal specimens.

This led the Tridentinosaurus to be classified as a member of the reptile group known as Protorosauria, and its purported fossilised skin, although never studied in detail, gained prominence in news articles and books.

However, the researchers said that despite the setback, the fossil is not a complete forgery.

They stated that although the femurs and hind limb bones are poorly preserved, they appear to be authentic. The fossil was discovered close to the town of Piné by Gualtiero Adami, an Italian engineer and museum employee. The fossil was a small, lizard-like creature with a long neck and five-digit limbs.

He turned it over to the local museum, and later that year, geologist Giorgio del Piaz announced the discovery of a new genus, dubbedTridentinosaurus antiquus.

Given that fossilised plant material and carbonised leaf and shoot pieces were discovered in the same geographic region, it was assumed that the black shape of the body represented the remains of carbonised skin or flesh.