NATION : Fossils Bull’s-Eye Near D.C.

North America’s first fossils of mammal ancestors--225-million-year-old remains that predate dinosaurs--have been discovered in the “back yard” of the nation’s capital, scientists reported today.

Researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and Columbia University discovered the rare fossils of mammal-like reptiles, called cynodonts, in a wooded area of Virginia about 115 miles south of Washington.

“We’ve hit a paleontological bull’s-eye in our back yard,” said the Smithsonian’s Hans-Dieter Sues, noting that such fossils previously had only been found in South America, China and South Africa.