Australia finds reptile footprints, the world's oldest

Australian scientists have discovered the oldest known reptile-like footprints, dating back approximately 350 million years, predating previous findings in Canada. The footprints, found near Melbourne, reveal an animal with claws and long toes, suggesting a rapid evolution of land-dwelling capabilities after animals emerged from the ocean. The creature, estimated to be 80 centimeters long, likely resembled a monitor lizard. This discovery, published in Nature, provides crucial evidence of early amniotes, the evolutionary branch that led to reptiles, birds, and mammals, and their adaptation to terrestrial life.