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GALLERY
Kellner et al. 2022
Taxonomic group: Archosauria (Archosauromorpha)
Age: 225 million years (Norian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore/Insectivore
Length: 30 centimeters long
Posture: Uncertain
Location where it was found: Faxinal do Soturno, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: This is a very enigmatic reptile. As it is known only from very fragmentary and incomplete materials, it is not known exactly which group it belongs to. Some researchers believe that it may have been a precursor of the pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic Era. Others believe that it is part of one of the lineages that later gave rise to alligators and crocodiles. In any case, based on what has been preserved, it is known that it had a very peculiar set of teeth, made up of needle-like teeth, which were probably used to grab invertebrates.
Taxonomic group: Archosauria (Archosauromorpha)
Age: 225 million years (Norian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore/Insectivore
Length: 30 centimeters long
Posture: Uncertain
Location where it was found: Faxinal do Soturno, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: This is a very enigmatic reptile. As it is known only from very fragmentary and incomplete materials, it is not known exactly which group it belongs to. Some researchers believe that it may have been a precursor of the pterosaurs, the flying reptiles of the Mesozoic Era. Others believe that it is part of one of the lineages that later gave rise to alligators and crocodiles. In any case, based on what has been preserved, it is known that it had a very peculiar set of teeth, made up of needle-like teeth, which were probably used to grab invertebrates.
Müller et al. 2018
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 225 million years (Norian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Herbivore
Length: 4.00 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: It was the first complete dinosaur discovered in Brazil. It is also the oldest long-necked dinosaur in the world. This characteristic gave it the ability to reach branches of vegetation that were inaccessible to other herbivores that lived with it. The species was discovered in an association with other individuals, indicating that they lived in groups.
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 225 million years (Norian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Herbivore
Length: 4.00 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: It was the first complete dinosaur discovered in Brazil. It is also the oldest long-necked dinosaur in the world. This characteristic gave it the ability to reach branches of vegetation that were inaccessible to other herbivores that lived with it. The species was discovered in an association with other individuals, indicating that they lived in groups.
Müller et al. 2020
Taxonomic group: Ornithosuchidae (Pseudosuchia)
Age: 230 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 2.00 meters long
Posture: Quadrupedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: This is the only member of the Ornithosuchidae group ever discovered in Brazil. The members of this group had a unique skull configuration, with huge lower teeth that fit between a cleft located behind the snout. On the back, they had two lines of dermal plates with projections that resembled spines.
Taxonomic group: Ornithosuchidae (Pseudosuchia)
Age: 230 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 2.00 meters long
Posture: Quadrupedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: This is the only member of the Ornithosuchidae group ever discovered in Brazil. The members of this group had a unique skull configuration, with huge lower teeth that fit between a cleft located behind the snout. On the back, they had two lines of dermal plates with projections that resembled spines.
Cabreira et al. 2016
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 233 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.50 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: It is considered the most primitive member of the group that gave rise to the giant long-necked dinosaurs, the sauropodomorphs. From its discovery, it was possible to conclude that the first members of the sauropodomorph group were carnivorous animals. It is among the oldest dinosaurs in the world. A complete skull discovered in 2015 allowed the reconstruction of a model of what this dinosaur's brain would have looked like, revealing that it had a good sense of smell, in addition to being able to maintain focus while chasing prey.
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 233 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.50 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: It is considered the most primitive member of the group that gave rise to the giant long-necked dinosaurs, the sauropodomorphs. From its discovery, it was possible to conclude that the first members of the sauropodomorph group were carnivorous animals. It is among the oldest dinosaurs in the world. A complete skull discovered in 2015 allowed the reconstruction of a model of what this dinosaur's brain would have looked like, revealing that it had a good sense of smell, in addition to being able to maintain focus while chasing prey.
Müller et al. 2022
Taxonomic group: Proterochampsia (Archosauromorpha)
Age: 230 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.40 meters long
Posture: Quadrupedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: With an appearance reminiscent of alligators and crocodiles, this primitive reptile may have been adapted to hunt animals near bodies of water. Its discovery helped to understand how certain characteristics of the reptiles' legs evolved during the Triassic Period. At the moment, there are few bone elements of the species, being very rare in the fossil record.
Taxonomic group: Proterochampsia (Archosauromorpha)
Age: 230 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.40 meters long
Posture: Quadrupedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: With an appearance reminiscent of alligators and crocodiles, this primitive reptile may have been adapted to hunt animals near bodies of water. Its discovery helped to understand how certain characteristics of the reptiles' legs evolved during the Triassic Period. At the moment, there are few bone elements of the species, being very rare in the fossil record.
Leal et al. 2004
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 225 million years (Norian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Herbivore
Length: 3.00 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: São Martinho da Serra, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: For a long time it was believed that there was only one fossil of this dinosaur, but while researchers were reanalyzing the dinosaur's fossils in 2023, much smaller bones were found among the original material. These new materials belonged to a calf that was associated with the first fossil found. Another interesting fact is that for a long time it was considered that the closest relatives of this dinosaur were forms from Germany, however, new findings have shown that there were dinosaurs with a greater degree of kinship with it in Brazil and India.
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 225 million years (Norian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Herbivore
Length: 3.00 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: São Martinho da Serra, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: For a long time it was believed that there was only one fossil of this dinosaur, but while researchers were reanalyzing the dinosaur's fossils in 2023, much smaller bones were found among the original material. These new materials belonged to a calf that was associated with the first fossil found. Another interesting fact is that for a long time it was considered that the closest relatives of this dinosaur were forms from Germany, however, new findings have shown that there were dinosaurs with a greater degree of kinship with it in Brazil and India.
Müller et al. 2023
Taxonomic group: Lagerpetidae (Pterosauromorpha)
Age: 233 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.00 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: Its discovery allowed researchers to understand for the first time what the faces of the precursors of pterosaurs looked like, revealing the presence of a sharp beak, like that of today's fast-moving birds. It had large hands with sharp claws that could have helped it climb trees or grab prey.
Taxonomic group: Lagerpetidae (Pterosauromorpha)
Age: 233 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.00 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: Its discovery allowed researchers to understand for the first time what the faces of the precursors of pterosaurs looked like, revealing the presence of a sharp beak, like that of today's fast-moving birds. It had large hands with sharp claws that could have helped it climb trees or grab prey.
Souza et al., 2023
Holotype: MN 7821-V
Abelisauroid theropod dinosaur Noasauridae
From the municipality of Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná.
Age: Cretaceous period
Geological Unit: Caiuá Formation, Goiô-Erê Group
Holotype: MN 7821-V
Abelisauroid theropod dinosaur Noasauridae
From the municipality of Cruzeiro do Oeste, Paraná.
Age: Cretaceous period
Geological Unit: Caiuá Formation, Goiô-Erê Group
Müller et al. 2024
Taxonomic group: Gracilisuchidae (Pseudosuchia)
Age: 237 million years ago (Ladinian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.00 meters long
Posture: Quadrupedal
Location where it was found: Paraíso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: It was a small predator that lived in ecosystems dominated by much larger reptiles. It was probably able to capture its prey using its speed. The Gracilisuchidae group is very rare in the fossil record, being known only from Brazil, Argentina and China.
Taxonomic group: Gracilisuchidae (Pseudosuchia)
Age: 237 million years ago (Ladinian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Carnivore
Length: 1.00 meters long
Posture: Quadrupedal
Location where it was found: Paraíso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: It was a small predator that lived in ecosystems dominated by much larger reptiles. It was probably able to capture its prey using its speed. The Gracilisuchidae group is very rare in the fossil record, being known only from Brazil, Argentina and China.
Müller & Garcia 2022
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 230 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Omnivorous
Length: 2.20 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: Although it is relatively incomplete material, this fossil preserves the hind limbs and part of the pelvic girdle. This discovery brought new information about the evolutionary processes undergone by sauropodomorph dinosaurs during the beginning of their evolution. The fossil showed that during the first pulse of the group's increase in size, there were no major changes in the shape of the structures that support the leg muscles. Thus, despite having grown in relation to the older forms, these sauropopodomorphs still maintained the same posture and form of locomotion.
Taxonomic group: Sauropodomorpha (Dinosauria)
Age: 230 million years (Carnian, Upper Triassic)
Diet: Omnivorous
Length: 2.20 meters long
Posture: Bipedal
Location where it was found: Agudo, Rio Grande do Sul.
Interesting facts: Although it is relatively incomplete material, this fossil preserves the hind limbs and part of the pelvic girdle. This discovery brought new information about the evolutionary processes undergone by sauropodomorph dinosaurs during the beginning of their evolution. The fossil showed that during the first pulse of the group's increase in size, there were no major changes in the shape of the structures that support the leg muscles. Thus, despite having grown in relation to the older forms, these sauropopodomorphs still maintained the same posture and form of locomotion.
Hirayama, 1998
Romualdo Formation, Santana Group, Araripe Basin
Santanachelys gaffneyi is an intriguing turtle in terms of its evolutionary relationship with Chelonioidea (the lineage of living sea turtles). In the original description of Santanachelys gaffneyi, the species was considered the oldest sea turtle in the world, but its evolutionary relationship is still the subject of debate.
Recently, in 2023, this material was repatriated and published in a partnership between Brazilian and foreign researchers. This is the second known specimen of this species in the world, and is currently in the Paleontology Collection of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco.
Santanachelys gaffneyi is found in rocks from the Lower Cretaceous (between 110 and 120 million years ago) of the Araripe Basin, Northeastern Brazil.
Romualdo Formation, Santana Group, Araripe Basin
Santanachelys gaffneyi is an intriguing turtle in terms of its evolutionary relationship with Chelonioidea (the lineage of living sea turtles). In the original description of Santanachelys gaffneyi, the species was considered the oldest sea turtle in the world, but its evolutionary relationship is still the subject of debate.
Recently, in 2023, this material was repatriated and published in a partnership between Brazilian and foreign researchers. This is the second known specimen of this species in the world, and is currently in the Paleontology Collection of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco.
Santanachelys gaffneyi is found in rocks from the Lower Cretaceous (between 110 and 120 million years ago) of the Araripe Basin, Northeastern Brazil.
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