Paleontologists in Australia have uncovered 350-million-year-old fossilized footprints belonging to a reptile-like creature, challenging long-held assumptions about the pace of terrestrial evolution. The discovery, published this week, pushes back evidence of land-dwelling vertebrates by at least 10 million years.
\"These tracks reveal animals moved inland much faster than we imagined after vertebrates first left the oceans around 400 million years ago,\" said lead researcher Dr. Sarah Linley of the University of Queensland. The findings suggest reptiles and their ancestors developed critical adaptations for dry environments—such as stronger limbs and water-conserving physiology—during a previously underestimated evolutionary sprint.
This breakthrough not only rewrites textbooks but also provides new context for studying how ancient climate shifts influenced biological innovation. For investors, it underscores Australia's growing prominence in paleontological research driving global scientific tourism.
