'Extremely rare' fossilized anus discovered after 300-million-years
New York Post • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists discovered the world's oldest known butthole impression, dating back nearly 300 million years, from a reptile in Germany's Thuringian Forest, as detailed in an upcoming Current Biology study.
- The fossil, named Cabarzichnus pulchrus, includes a well-preserved cloaca and belly scales, providing rare soft-tissue evidence from the early Permian period, predating the previous record by nearly 180 million years.
- The cloaca's shape and orientation resemble those of modern turtles, lizards, and snakes rather than dinosaurs or crocodiles, offering new insights into early reptile evolution and diversification.
- The animal, likely a small bolosaurian reptile about 3.5 inches long
