Brazilian scientists have announced the discovery of one of the world’s oldest fossils, believed to be that of an ancient reptile dating back 237 million years, which could help explain the rise of the dinosaurs.
Called Gondwanax paraisensis, the four-legged reptile was about the size of a small dog with a long tail, or about one meter long and weighed three to six kilograms (seven to 13 kilograms), scientists said in a statement on Monday.
This small reptile probably roamed what is now southern Brazil, where the world was very hot.
The fossil has been identified as a new silesaurid, an extinct group of reptiles. Paleontologists argue that silesaurids were true dinosaurs or perhaps the precursors to the creatures that once ruled the Earth.
“Understanding the characteristics of these precursors can shed light on what was important for dinosaurs to be successful in evolution,” the statement said.
Viewing the earth 237 million years ago
Unearthed in a layer of rock from the Triassic period, between 252 and 201 million years ago, the Gondwanax paradisesensis fossil comes from the time when dinosaurs and other mammals, crocodiles, turtles and frogs first appeared.
In 2014, doctor Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurelio found fossilized remains in the city of Paraiso do Sul in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
He donated it to his local university in 2021, and began a three-year research.
“Being the first person to touch something 237 million years ago is amazing,” Aurelio told Reuters.
“It’s an indescribable feeling,” said the self-described paleontology student since childhood.
The discovery was detailed in an article by cardiologist Rodrigo Temp Mullerublished late last month in the scientific journal Gondwana Research.
“The most important part of this discovery is your age,” Muller said in an interview. “Because it’s so old, it gives us clues about how dinosaurs came to be.”
He added that the remains were covered by a thick layer of rock when they were handed over by Aurelio and at first only parts of the spine were visible.
Gondwanax means “king of Gondwana,” referring to the land of Gondwana in the southern region of the supercontinent Pangea before the continents separated, while paraisensis honors the city of Paraiso do Sul.
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