TORONTO -- A team of researchers from Carleton University say a recent fossil discovery in Nova Scotia represents the earliest known examples of a creature exhibiting the behaviours of a parent.
Brian Hebert has long wandered the beaches of Nova Scotia, searching for fossils, but it wasn’t until he looked in the roots of a tree trunk in Cape Breton that he struck gold.
He told CTV News that when he “cracked open the stone,” he knew instantly that he’d stumbled upon something unique.
“I've been doing this long enough that I know when there's something that’s very important that shows up on the surface,” he said. “It was very exciting.”
What he had found was the intertwined, fossilized remains of two reptiles. Frozen in time, the smaller reptile is positioned under the hind leg of the larger reptile, indicating the two were sharing the same den, according to researchers.
The analysis of the fossil was recently published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. It describes the discovery of a large and small lizard-like reptile known as a varanopid synapsid.
A synapsid is type of “early mammal-like reptile,” Hebert explained. “This is the oldest evidence of a four legged animal that was on land."
But researchers say that this fossil didn’t fully line up with previous examples of synapsids. The preserved skeletons of both reptiles have unique features, they said.
“We knew right away we were looking at probably a new animal, a new species," said Hillary Maddin, the lead researcher and a professor at Carleton University.
However, it was the way the fossils were found that intrigued researchers the most.
“The adult animal appears to be concealing and protecting a juvenile in a den,” Maddin said in a news release. “This is the earliest evidence of prolonged postnatal care in a vertebrate.”
The fossils predate what was previously thought to be the earliest such discovery by 40 million years and could help to explain the evolution of parenting, according to the researchers.
“This behavior is very common in mammals today,” Maddin said. “It is interesting to see this animal, which is on the evolutionary line leading to mammals, exhibiting this behaviour so early.”
Hebert said in the news release that he hopes the discovery also leads to further study in Nova Scotia.
“This discovery shows that Nova Scotia still has plenty of amazing secrets to be discovered in its fossil record,” he said.
“I’m hopeful that the Nova Scotia government will appreciate how discoveries like these can add to the province, not only scientifically, but also in terms of tourism and economically. I have been excited to work with Hillary since we met. I knew that she would appreciate the little known places in Nova Scotia and how they can change the way we look at the world.”
He has been fossil hunting for 30 years, he told CTV News, and he hopes that he can also inspire others to do the same.
“Anybody can do this,” he said. “You just have to want to get out of the house and go out and search."
