(MENAFN) Fossilized tracks uncovered in Victoria, Australia, may indicate that reptiles roamed the Earth 40 million years earlier than scientists previously believed, according to a statement from Flinders University on Thursday.

These footprints were found in rock formations dating back roughly 350 million years to the Carboniferous period. Researchers say the tracks likely belonged to an amniote—a vertebrate with clawed limbs and possibly one of the earliest reptiles—according to a press release from the Adelaide-based university.

This discovery significantly alters the accepted timeline of reptile evolution, which had placed their emergence in the Northern Hemisphere around 318 million years ago, the release noted.

"This is the oldest evidence in the world of reptile-like animals walking around on land," stated Flinders University palaeontologist Prof. John Long.

The findings suggest a much earlier origin for reptiles and point to Gondwana—the ancient southern supercontinent that included present-day Australia—as their potential birthplace, according to a study published in the latest issue of Nature.

The tracks were discovered in Victoria’s Mansfield region by local fossil hobbyists Craig Eury, a builder, and John Eason, a winemaker, who later contributed to the study, according to reports.

"It was amazing how crystal clear the trackways are on the rock slab. It immediately excited us, and we sensed we were onto something big, even though we had no idea how big it was," Long noted.

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