A new species of reptile that lived 237 million years ago, discovered in southern Brazil, may provide new clues about the origin of dinosaurs, according to the paleontologists responsible for the discovery.
The fossil, of the species Gondwanax paraisensis, was discovered in a rock in Paraíso do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (south), and donated to the Paleontological Research Support Center in January 2024, reported the Federal University of Santa Maria. in statement.
It is one of the oldest skeletons of this lineage and, based on the reconstruction of the species, it is estimated that the reptile would have reached around a meter in length.
Since no teeth or cranial elements were recovered, it was not possible to determine its feeding habits, although it can be inferred that it was herbivorous or omnivorous, like most related animals.
Some researchers believe that these animals, recently discovered and classified in the group of silesaurids, may have been very close precursors of dinosaurs, while others suggest that, rather than precursors, they were true dinosaurs.
The debate arises because silesaurids have characteristics similar to those of dinosaurs, but also contain some that are still considered much more primitive.
For the university, this discovery “highlights the importance of Brazil on the international stage in the study of the origin of dinosaurs” and also reveals “until now unknown details” of terrestrial ecosystems during the Mesozoic Era.
In 2021, the Rio Grande do Sul region was recognized as the land of the world’s oldest dinosaurs by the Guinness Book of Records, when zircon crystals, a mineral that is more than 230 million years old, were discovered there.
Source: Observadora
