Two-headed reptile fossil found in China

PARIS: French and Chinese palaeontologists have identified the fossil of a two-headed reptile from a species that lived in what is now China nearly 150 million years ago.

The specimen was recovered from the Yixian Formation, a treasure trove of fossils in northeastern China that has previously yielded the remains of early birds and feathered dinosaurs.

Only seven centimetres (3.5 inches) long, the tiny skeleton from the Early Cretaceous shows an embryonic or newborn reptile with two heads and two necks. It was a species of long-necked aquatic lizard that was more than a metre (3.25 feet) when fully grown.

Axial bifurcation -- two-headedness -- is a well-known developmental flaw among reptile species today such as turtles and snakes.

The paper appears on Wednesday in Biology Letters, published by the Royal Society, which is Britain's de-facto academy of sciencies.

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thats pretty neat to show they they had breeding problems back then too basicly, but the bigger thing is that you can see that the body is a specific shape, and so is the heads (where they split) so it gives a more accurate fossile account.

Personally, I'm suspicious; there have been a lot of forgeries coming out of the Chinese fossil beds. Remember the debacle of 'Archaeoraptor'?

Henry

Yea, but they aren't claiming a new species, and it is a common thing now. I would be more suspicious if it was a full grown speciman or if they were claiming that they discovered a new type of reptile species. I think it's valid, and it's interesting although not very shocking.

Anyone with a link that includes a picture?