Unlike anything seen before ...

Model of Mirasaura grauvogeli. Credit: Tobias Wilhelm

Seems about 247 million years ago, a small lizard sported a display for the ages, something unseen until now, a discovery changing the notion of how reptiles actually looked like back in the day. 

Body coverings like hair and feathers have played a vital role throughout evolutionary history. They provided insulation that supported warm-bloodedness and served functions such as courtship, display, predator deterrence, and, in the case of feathers, flight.

These coverings are defined by their extended and intricate skin projections, which are markedly different from the simpler, flatter scales found on reptiles. Until now, such complex outgrowths had only been identified as hair in mammals and as feathers in birds, dinosaurs, and pterosaurs.

In a recent study published in the journal Nature, an international team of researchers led by paleontologists Dr. Stephan Spiekman and Prof Dr. Rainer Schoch from the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, Germany, describes a newly discovered tree-dwelling reptile from the early Middle Triassic.

The species, named Mirasaura grauvogeli—meaning “Grauvogel’s Wonder Reptile”—lived approximately 247 million years ago. It featured a dorsal crest lined with previously unknown, structurally complex skin appendages that show some resemblance to feathers. These features were likely used for visual communication within the species.

This discovery demonstrates that elaborate skin structures were not exclusive to birds and their close relatives, but may have existed earlier in reptile evolution. The find challenges existing assumptions and calls for a reassessment of how complex body coverings evolved in ancient reptiles.

Reconstruction and illustration of Mirasaura in its natural forested environment, hunting insects.
Credit: Gabriel Ugueto