Discovery of fossil of pre-dinosaur reptile in Brazil

237-million-year-old fossil of Gondwanax paraisensis, a small reptile from southern Brazil, sheds light on dinosaur origins. 

Discovered in 2014 and donated to a university in 2021, the fossil is from a silesaurid, a debated precursor to dinosaurs. 

Measuring 1 meter long and weighing 3 to 6 kg, the reptile lived during the Triassic period, offering valuable insights into early reptile evolution.


Key Highlights:

- A 237 million-year-old fossil of a small reptile called Gondwanax paraisensis was discovered in southern Brazil.

- The reptile belonged to a group of extinct reptiles called silesaurids, and scientists are debating whether they were true dinosaurs or a species that came before them.

- The discovery of this new species could help in understanding the traits that made dinosaurs successful.

- The fossil was originally found in 2014 by Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurelio and was donated to a university in 2021, leading to three years of research.

- The fossil's age is significant in helping scientists understand how dinosaurs first appeared.

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