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DYNAMIC DINOS

New Fossil Species Discovered in AZ That Looked Like Cross Between Anteater and Chameleon

Skybalonyx skapter, the new species, dates back to the Triassic Period, or 220 million years ago.

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Aris Messinis/Getty Images

By Patricia Kelly Yeo

Researchers have discovered a new burrowing reptile species via fossils found in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park that likely looked like a cross between an anteater and chameleon. The species, which researchers named Skybalonyx skapter, is part of a reptile group known as drepanosaurs and dates back to 220 million years ago. Its traits include enlarged second claws, bird-like beaks and claw tails. The researchers, who published their findings in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, also say the new species could have used its claws to burrow like a mole.

Read it at Associated Press

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