14 DAY TRIAL // A paper published in today's issue of the journal PLOS ONE documents the discovery of an 11-million-year-old worm lizard skull in Spain.
The skull measures just 0.44 inches (11.2 millimeters) in length, and researchers say that it belong to a species previously undocumented by science, i.e. Blanus mendezi, Live Science informs.
Although several remains of ancient worm lizards have been found scattered across Europe over the years, this skull is the first intact fossil researchers have until now come across.
Based on an analysis of this skull discovered in Spain, specialists have concluded that worm lizards, which can still be found in the world in today's day and age, have remained pretty much unchanged over the years.
Due to the fact that the skull is entrapped in rock, the researchers who found it had to resort to CT scanning to get a better idea of its anatomy. Otherwise, trying to free it from the rock might have resulted in the skull's being destroyed.
“The use of CT-scan techniques applied to this superbly preserved worm lizard fossil skull has allowed an unprecedentedly detailed description for an early member of the family, providing insights into the evolutionary history of this poorly known group of reptiles,” explains specialist Arnau Bolet.
One of the images obtained using CT scanning to study the makeup of this ancient worm lizard skull is available above.