Version 1
: Received: 3 November 2024 / Approved: 4 November 2024 / Online: 4 November 2024 (14:43:30 CET)
How to cite:
Smith, J. K. Discovery of a Trace Fossil Containing the Remains of Minuscule Squamates: Evidence in Support of the Lizard‐to‐Snake Hypothesis. Preprints2024, 2024110197. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0197.v1
Smith, J. K. Discovery of a Trace Fossil Containing the Remains of Minuscule Squamates: Evidence in Support of the Lizard‐to‐Snake Hypothesis. Preprints 2024, 2024110197. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0197.v1
Smith, J. K. Discovery of a Trace Fossil Containing the Remains of Minuscule Squamates: Evidence in Support of the Lizard‐to‐Snake Hypothesis. Preprints2024, 2024110197. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0197.v1
APA Style
Smith, J. K. (2024). Discovery of a Trace Fossil Containing the Remains of Minuscule Squamates: Evidence in Support of the Lizard‐to‐Snake Hypothesis. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0197.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Smith, J. K. 2024 "Discovery of a Trace Fossil Containing the Remains of Minuscule Squamates: Evidence in Support of the Lizard‐to‐Snake Hypothesis" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202411.0197.v1
Abstract
Abstract
Micropaleontology is the study of microscopic fossils such as coccolithophores, foraminifera, diatoms, and radiolaria. These diminutive fossils range in size from 0.001 to 1 mm and are the most abundant and ancient of Earth’s unicellular organisms. I now report the finding of a ~0.5 – 0.6 mm long limbed squamate with a spade-like tail and features that otherwise resemble those of extant Geckos on the dorsal surface of a trace fossil from Hamblen County, Tennessee. Also found are three 0.4 - 0.6 mm long saurian-like juveniles undergoing body elongation and limb reduction, findings in keeping with a lizard-to-snake transformation. The dorsal surface also contains the remains of a tiny snake-like squamate measuring 1.0 mm snout-to-vent and 7.0 mm snout-to-tail. The miniaturization of these fossils may represent an ecomorphological response to the Permian-Triassic and/or the mid-Cretaceous extinctions as well as the metabolic and reproductive advantages of smallness. The findings open a new area of investigation for paleontologists and micropaleontologists and underscore the resilience and variety of life forms on Earth.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
