Fossil claw marks show reptiles arose much earlier than thought

Fossil claw prints found in Australia were probably made by the earliest known amniotes — the group that includes reptiles, birds and mammals. The findings push the origin of this group back to around 35 million years earlier than was previously thought. There are no marks of dragging bellies or tails, which could hint that the animals were able to hold their bodies up while they walked — an indicator that they had evolved for complex movement.