A possible ancestor of dinosaurs aged 237 million years has been discovered in Brazil (5 photos)

A newly discovered fossil may shed light on how dinosaurs evolved to rule the planet. The reptile lived during the Middle Triassic period and is the oldest known species to have existed before dinosaurs.





Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurelio found the fossil in 2014 near the city of Paraiso do Sul in southern Brazil, and paleontologist Rodrigo Temp Muller took up the study in 2021.



"Being the first human to touch something that existed 237 million years ago is an indescribable feeling," Aurelio told Reuters.

Mueller named the species Gondwanaz paraesensis and believes it will shed light on the early evolution of dinosaurs and their closest relatives.





"Gondwanaz" means "lord of Gondwana" and "paraesensis" is a reference to the city of Paraiso do Sul. Gondwana is an ancient supercontinent in the southern hemisphere.

The creature was the size of a small dog, weighing about 4.5 kilograms, and had a tail that was up to a meter long. It belongs to the dinosauromorphs, which is a group of dinosaurs and their close relatives.



The specimen belongs to the silesaurid family. This group has many features in common with dinosaurs, but appeared much earlier.

Müller said that one of the most important features of the specimen is the presence of three sacral vertebrae, which is observed in more advanced silesaurids. In addition, scientists believe that Gondwanaz paraesensis may be a precursor to archosaurs - ancient reptiles, which, in turn, are the ancestors of modern animals, including crocodiles and birds.

The scientific article says that these vertebrae indicate "a wide variety of locomotor strategies." This means that the animal was adapted to life in different types of terrain.



"The most important thing is the age of the find. It is so ancient that it gives clues to how dinosaurs appeared," Müller concluded.