‘Extremely rare’ Jurassic-era fossils discovered in Lake Powell

Tritylodonts, mid-sized mammal-related herbivores, roamed the area's deserts 200m years ago

Scientists have discovered an extremely rare" set of fossils at Lake Powell that the National Park Service (NPS) is calling one of the most important vertebrate discoveries in the US this year.

The findings, revealed this week, include skulls and teeth from dozens of mid-sized, mammal-related herbivores called tritylodonts that once roamed the region's vast desert. The bones lay hidden in the sandstone walls of the reservoir for roughly 180m years before a lucky discovery in March.