Shedding light on the authenticity of the tridentinosaurus antiquus

Tridentinosaurus antiquus (Leonardi 1959) represents one of the oldest reptile fossils and one of the very few skeletal remains of this geological age found in the Italian Alps. Most of the skeletal elements (e.g., the vertebral column, ribs and pelvic and shoulder girdles) seems to be embedded within the rock matrix, while a dark paint highlight the body outline. This seems to be an artefact, possibly a paint derived from the pigment known as “bone black”. The somewhat strange preservation and appearance of the fossil have puzzled palaeontologists for decades and its taphonomy is, to this date, unresolved. With this proposal we aim to investigate the presence, completeness and articulation of the skeleton of T. antiquus to shed light on its authenticity and taphonomic history.