Fossil found in Brazil should cast light on the origin of dinosaurs
Researchers from the Paleontological Research Support Center of Quarta Colônia (Cappa), at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), in Rio Grande do Sul state, have made a momentous discovery for world paleontology in the municipality of São João do Polêsine, in the central region of the state. In May, after heavy rains brought floods and destruction to South Brazil, specialists found an almost complete fossil of a dinosaur from the Herrerasauridae group, which lived in the Triassic Period, estimated to be 233 million years old.“It’s among the oldest in the world. It’s already important because of the role it’s likely to play in helping us understand the origin of the dinosaurs. Besides, it’s almost fully preserved. The material will provide a lot of anatomical information,” UFSM pa...