A misplaced fossil fragment hid a species' identity for two decades until a chance discovery revealed a previously unknown Triassic reptile hiding in plain sight.
A fragment of fossil thigh bone was the only piece carrying this specimen’s collection number, and losing it hid where the animal came from for more than 20 years — until the fragment resurfaced in a Porto Alegre university collection and the three bones proved to be a Middle Triassic reptile new to science
Science Blog Editorial Team