Artistic representation of a Middle-Late Triassic landscape of southern Brazil: (a) a large Prestosuchus chiniquensis feeds on the carcass of a dicynodont while individuals of Parvosuchus aurelioi compete for scraps; (b) and (c) depict details of individuals of Parvosuchus aurelioi. Image credit: Matheus Fernandes.

SciNews has a story about the discovery of a new crocodile-like reptile from Brazil.  Whereas the Jurassic and Cretaceous were dominated by dinosaurs, the Triassic had the crocodillians at the top of the food chain.  Crocodile-like animals filled many of the niches later filled by dinosaurs.  Recently in Brazil, a new animal species has been named, Parvosuchus aurelioi.  It lived about 237 million years ago.  The fossils were found in the Santa Maria Formation in the municipalities of Paraíso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.  A paper in the journal Scientific Reports has the details.

Named Parvosuchus aurelioi, the new species roamed Earth around 237 million years ago (Triassic period).

The ancient reptile was a type of gracilisuchid (Gacilisuchidae), an extinct family of pseudosuchians known from China, Argentina, and Brazil.

“Prior to the dominance of the dinosaurs, pseudosuchians were a common form of ancient quadruped reptile during the Triassic period, with some species amongst the largest carnivores of the time,” said Universidade Federal de Santa Maria paleontologist Rodrigo Müller.

“Smaller pseudosuchians known as gracilisuchids lived alongside these apex predators and have been found in areas such as China and Argentina.”