Milleretta:
Not One Form But Many

About 250 million years ago a small reptile called Milleretta lived. Of course it was not called Milleretta then, it was just another reptile. It was about two feet in length (60 cm) and had a body shape and teeth very similar to that of some modern lizards like skinks. Because of this it is assumed that this animal had a similar lifestyle, running and climbing trees, and probably eating insects and possibly soft plants as well. This animal lived in the areas of where South America and South Africa are now, when the continents were still all joined together. Indeed, for some time after its initial description this animal was thought to be an ancestor of modern lizards (the Diapsid group).

The skull of this little creature had no openings in the temporal region, meaning that it belongs to the anapsid group of reptiles of which turtles are the only living descendents. The creature is not thought to be close to the ancestors of turtles though, but rather represents a separate group of animals.

Recent fossil finds, combined with the comprehensive work of dedicated scientists such as the late Alfred Romer, have resulted in a number of ancient anapsid reptiles being assigned to this group. The classical lizard-like Milleretta was the first animal assigned to this group, and hence their group name. However, other ancient reptiles have also since been added to this grouping. These include:

A Substantial Group

The more that we learn about the parareptilia, also known as the anapsid group, the more we see it is a successful, vigorous group that was pushing ahead with evolutionary adaptations. Why they were not successful will never be known, but it is foolish to dismiss this group as just a bunch of primitive losers in the race for survival.

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