The oldest skin in the world preserved in a very rare fossil
The oldest skin in the world preserved in a very rare fossil Written by Michael Irving Source newatlas.com The earliest skin fossils that have been found date back much beyond the time of the dinosaurs. The samples, which were discovered in an Oklahoman cave, demonstrate how little reptile scales have altered over the previous 286 million years. Skeletons make up the majority of fossils found in museums, and the explanation is straightforward: because bones take longer to break down than other materials, they have more time to fossilise. We don't often locate soft tissues like skin, muscle, or organs since they often waste away or are consumed by scavengers soon after death. But it is possible in some situations. If you bury it fast enough in the ideal medium, you may find preserved feathered dinosaur tails in amber, a brain that is 133 million years old pickled in bogs, and a nodosaur that still has its sk