- Newly discovered fossil footprints in Australia, dating back 350 million years, are the oldest evidence of reptile-like creatures walking on land.
- This finding predates the previous oldest footprints by millions of years, suggesting a faster transition from aquatic to terrestrial life.
- The footprints reveal a creature about 2.5 feet long with clawed feet, resembling a modern monitor lizard.
- The presence of claws indicates a fully terrestrial animal, as claws are unique to land-dwellers.
- This discovery challenges previous theories about the timeline of vertebrate evolution and the development of terrestrial locomotion.
IN FULL