Triassic-age 'swamp monster': Rare female phytosaur skull found in West Texas more than 200 million years old
Thursday, January 30, 2014 - 08:01
in Paleontology & Archaeology
In the dangerous waters of an ancient oxbow lake created by a flooded and unnamed meandering river, the female phytosaur died and sank to the bottom 205 million years ago. About 40 yards away the remains of a larger male also came to rest, and both disappeared in a tomb of soil and sediment. Evidence for the cause of their deaths and the rest of their bodies have vanished with time, but their skulls remained. After careful research, a paleontologist says he and others have discovered a new species of the Triassic-age monster in the wilds of West Texas.