These Fossil Mummies Reveal a Brutal World Long Before T. Rex Lived
Juvenile Lystrosaurus murrayi skeleton with enveloping layer interpreted as mummified skin. Photo: Courtesy Roger SmithIt was a time of catastrophic change. Most of life on Earth had been wiped out, global temperatures had increased dramatically, and the weather raged in extremes. That anything survived in this hostile environment is remarkable, and yet, some plants and animals persisted. One such survivor was Lystrosaurus, a four-legged herbivore with a beaked snout and two pointy tusk-like teeth. And now, over 250…