The gecko/gecko family is a diverse group of reptiles that are widely distributed around the world. They have developed a variety of forms to adapt to various ecological environments. They can be said to be the most familiar species to reptile enthusiasts. At the same time, Gekkota is also an absolute veteran among lizards and is one of the oldest branches.

Recently, paleontologists at Yale University are studying some The "ancestral traces" of the gecko family were discovered when lizard skull fossils were found. These skulls came from the Morrison Formation (Morrison Formation) of the Late Jurassic in Utah, USA. They were originally thought to be part of the ancestral European skink (†Paramacellodus cf. P. oweni). But after further research using tomography (CT) technology to create three-dimensional images of the fossils, it was discovered that one of the skulls did belong to an early skink, while the other did not.

“It is one of the earliest known relatives of geckos in the fossil record,” said researcher Meyer. "This means that the gecko family arrived in North America nearly 100 million years earlier than the earliest known record."

The gecko clan that was finally discovered was named "Helioscopus dickersonae." "Helioscopus", derived from the Latinization of the Ancient Greek "helios" (sun) and the ancient Greek "scopós" (observer), is derived from the prominent pineal foramen found in this species. The epithet "dickersonae" is the Latinized form of "Dickerson" in honor of the two ladies. Mary Cynthia Dixon, the principal investigator's late grandmother and great-grandmother, respectively, was the first curator of herpetology at the American Museum of Natural History and mentor to renowned lizard systematist Charles L. Camp. Cynthia Dickerson).

As mentioned above, this gecko-like animal has obvious pine fruit body structure. When observing its skull, it is not difficult to find that there is a round hole on its parietal bone, which is a prominent pineal gland perforation. In contrast to its close relative †Ardeosaurus brevipes, it does not have this characteristic. This feature is absent in nocturnal geckos, and the loss of this hole first appeared in the clade of primitive geckos †Gobekko cretacicus. It can be said that the disappearance of this pineal hole indicates that pan-geckos have gradually formed a nocturnal habit.