252 to 66 million years ago

A tiny fossil with a big story.

In 2015, scientists made one of the most exciting discoveries on a beach in Devon, England, a fossil so small it could fit in your hand, yet it held clues to a vast prehistoric world. It belonged to a sharp-toothed reptile called Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae, which lived over 240 million years ago, even before the dinosaurs!

This little creature is the oldest known member of the group that includes today’s lizards and snakes. It likely hunted insects like crickets and cockroaches, and its bones help scientists understand how reptiles evolved and adapted over time. Fossils like this are nature’s time capsules, or even time machines, helping us explore the ancient world and learn how life on Earth has changed across millions of years.