Science
Reptile fossil found in Brazil helps shed light on the common origins of dinosaurs and crocodiles
Key Points
Long before dinosaurs ruled the continents and modern crocodiles first appeared, their ancestors were already going through a decisive phase in their evolutionary history. It was in this ancient world, shortly after the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history, that a new species of fossil reptile was discovered in Brazil's inland Rio Grande do Sul state.
Long before dinosaurs ruled the continents and modern crocodiles first appeared, their ancestors were already going through a decisive phase in their evolutionary history. It was in this ancient world, shortly after the greatest mass extinction in Earth's history, that a new species of fossil reptile was discovered in Brazil's inland Rio Grande do Sul state.