Researchers from the National Museum of Scotland have uncovered a new extinct species of lizard that combines traits of both snakes and lizards, which lived about 167 million years ago on the Isle of Skye, northwest Scotland.

The British journal Nature reported that the research team found the fossil in 2016, and after ten years of detailed studies and analysis using CT scans and advanced techniques at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France, they announced that this strange creature exhibited a unique mix of contrasting features.

The creature was named “Bregnatatyr elgolensis” or “the false snake” in the local Gaelic language, due to its strong jaws and curved teeth similar to those of snakes, along with a short body equipped with fully developed limbs like ordinary lizards.

Researchers classified this species within an extinct group known as “Parviraptoridae,” previously known only from scattered remains.

“The false snake” is one of the oldest and most complete lizard fossils discovered from the Jurassic period, measuring about 40 centimeters in length. Studies indicate it was a skilled predator feeding on smaller lizards, primitive mammals, and even young dinosaurs, making it one of the top predators in its ancient environment.