This 280-Million-Year-Old Fossil Found In The Italian Alps Turned Out To Be A Forgery

In 1931, an ancient reptile fossil was found in the Italian Alps. The 280-million-year-old fossil was eight inches long, and the dark color of its body outline was initially interpreted as preserved soft tissues.
This led the specimen to be classified as a reptile of the Protorosauria group. The finding was also regarded as a paleontological advancement toward understanding the evolution of early reptiles.
For decades, scientists have been mystified by the unusually remarkable preservation of Tridentinosaurus antiquus.
However, a new analysis has exposed the fossil as a forgery. Apparently, it is mostly just black paint on a carved rock surface shaped like a lizard.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Valentina Rossi of University College Cork in Ireland decided to take a closer look at the fossil.
Due to the lack of advanced technology at the time it was found, it had never been studied in detail before.
They examined the dark material, which was thought to be carbonized skin, under a microscope and found that the texture and composition did not match the soft tissues of genuine fossils.
Ultraviolet photography showed that the entire specimen had been coated in some kind of varnish. In the past, applying varnishes to fossils was a common practice that helped preserve them in museum exhibits. So, the team hoped that the real soft tissues were underneath the layer of varnish.
Upon further examination, they discovered that the fossil did not have any preserved soft tissues at all.

Anastasia Gubinskaya – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The body outline of the specimen had merely been created with black paint to enhance its appearance.
“Fossil soft tissues are rare, but when found in a fossil, they can reveal important biological information, for instance, the external coloration, internal anatomy, and physiology,” said Dr. Rossi.
“The answer to all our questions was right in front of us; we had to study this fossil specimen in detail to reveal its secrets—even those that perhaps we did not want to know.”
Not all is lost, though. Some elements of the fossil are as real as can be, such as the bones of the lizard’s hind legs, although they are poorly preserved. In addition, the back of the animal possessed tiny bony scales known as osteoderms.
Following the results of the study, Dr. Rossi is now warning scientists to proceed with caution when referring to the fossil in future research.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
More About:News