When paleontologists only have so many clues to infer a fossil’s original form, it’s all too easy to make honest mistakes. Sometimes, supposedly reasonable assumptions set researchers on the wrong path—as demonstrated by a “rediscovered” creature sporting an unlikely mix of reptilian features.

A Nature paper published today introduced to the world Breugnathair elgolensis , a reptilian creature from the Jurassic era with the short body and limbs of a gecko. But like its name, Gaelic for “false snake of Elgol,” its jaws and hooked teeth resemble that of modern-day pythons. The combination was so seemingly impossible that when paleontologists first unearthed the fossil in 2015, they naturally assumed that the set of bones belonged to separate animals.

The reclassification places Breu

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