UCC analysis reveals Alps fossil is mostly a 'forgery'

Analysis by a team of experts has revealed what was thought to be a 280m-year-old fossil discovered in the Italian Alps as mostly a forgery, according to an article in an influential scientific magazine.

The examination of the remnants was carried out by a UCC team led by Dr Valentina Rossi and has prompted calls for caution in how the fossil is treated in future research.

The fossil was discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931 and is named as Tridentinosaurus antiquus.

It was thought to be an important specimen for understanding the early evolution of reptiles. The body outline of the fossil appeared dark against the surrounding rock and that’s why it was interpreted, at the time of its discovery, as preserved soft tissue, leading to its classification as a member of the Protosauria reptile group.

The new research, published today in scientific journal Palaeontology, reveals the fossil, renowned because of its remarkable classification, is mostly just black paint on a carved lizard-shaped rock surface.

Dr Rossi said fossil soft tissues were rare but could reveal important biological information, details such as the external colouration, internal anatomy and physiology.

“The answer to all our questions was right in front of us, we had to study this fossil specimen in detail to reveal its secrets, even those that perhaps we did not want to know,” said the UCC researcher.

The microscopic analysis showed the texture and composition of the material did not match genuine fossilised soft tissues.

Preliminary investigation using UV photography revealed that the entirety of the specimen was treated with some sort of coating material. Coating fossils with varnishes and/or lacquers was the norm in the past and sometimes is still necessary to preserve a fossil specimen in museum cabinets and exhibits. The team was hoping that beneath the coating layer, the original soft tissues were still in good condition to extract meaningful palaeobiological information.

The findings indicate that the body outline of Tridentinosaurus antiquus was artificially created, likely to enhance the appearance of the fossil. This deception misled previous researchers.

However all not all is lost, and the fossil is not a complete fake. The bones of the hindlimbs, in particular, the femurs seem genuine, although poorly preserved. Moreover, the new analyses have shown the presence of tiny bony scales called osteoderms, like the scales of crocodiles, on what perhaps was the back of the animal.

The team behind this research includes contributors based in Italy at the University of Padua, Museum of Nature South Tyrol, and the Museo delle Scienze in Trento.