Researchers have discovered an ancient species of reptile from fossils collected in Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona.
The creature was small enough to fit in your hand.
The lizard-like reptile lived during the Triassic period, about 220 million years ago.
Researcher Alaska Schubert led the study detailing the discovery. She says the species was given the Greek name Akidostropheus Oligos, meaning tiny, spiked backbone.
“The vertebrae we found have these really cool spikes coming out of the vertebrae, which is why we got to name it a new species because there are no other vertebrae that belong in Tanystropheidae that have that spike on it," Schubert said.
The fossilized bones, which were about the size of a pinky finger nail, were found in an area of the park known as Thunderstorm Ridge. Several new species have been discovered from fossils in the Petrified Forest.
The study was published in the online journal BioOne Online Library.
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