Scientists in Brazil announced the discovery of one of the oldest fossils in the world which in theory belongs to a reptile that lived about 237 million years ago and may explain the rise of the dinosaurs.
Called “Gondwanax paraisensis” the quadrupedal reptile it was practically the size of a small dog with a long tail with a length of around one meter and weighing between 3 and 6 kilos, according to the statement announcing the discovery, released this Monday (14).
THE small reptile probably roamed the lands that are today southern Brazil at a time when the world was much warmer.
The fossil was identified as a new silesaurid, an extinct group of reptiles. Paleontologists debate whether they were real dinosaurs or precursors to the creatures that once dominated the planet.
“Understanding the characteristics of these precursors sheds light on what was crucial to the evolutionary success of dinosaurs,” the statement said.
Unearthed from a rock layer from the Triassic period — between 252 and 201 million years ago — the “Gondwanax paraisensis” fossil dates back to the time when dinosaurs appeared, as well as mammals, crocodiles, turtles and frogs.
In 2014, Nephrologist Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurélio found the fossil in the city of Paraíso do Sul, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. He donated it to a local university in 2021, which began three years of studies.
“You play like that, the first human hands touching 237 million years ago . This is extraordinary. If we can’t define it, it’s an indefinable emotion”, said he, who says he has been interested in paleontology since he was little.
The discovery was detailed in a article by paleontologist Rodrigo Temp Müller, from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), published last month in the scientific publication Gondwana Research.
“So, because it is so old, it gives us clues about how dinosaurs came to be. So, the biggest importance, the most interesting part of this finding is his age,” he said in an interview.
He added that the remains were covered by a thick layer of rock when donated by Aurélio and initially only parts of the vertebrae were visible.
Gondwanax means “lord of Gondwana”, which refers to the lands in the southern region of the supercontinent of Pangea, which existed before the separation of the continents. Paraisensis is a tribute to the city of Paraíso do Sul.
This content was originally published in Fossil of new species of reptile found in Brazil helps understand the rise of dinosaurs on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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