The earliest reptile

Reptiles Existed Before the Great Dying

In yet another article from The Guardian the earliest reptile yet found is described. 

Megachirella wachtleri, has been unveiled as the oldest known member of a group of reptiles known as squamates – which includes lizards, snakes and peculiar legless creatures known as worm lizards. But more - using various means which I do not pretend to understand (see this) - although the beastie is dated as 240 million years old it is concluded that its species existed before the Permian/Triassic extinction event (252 million years ago).

The fossil which led to all this work was found in the Dolomites and may have looked like this:-

An artists’ impression of Megachirella wachtleri walking through the vegetation in the Dolomites 240m years ago. Photograph: Davide Bonadonna/Nature