Extremely rare” discovery of this newly identified armor-plated carnivorous reptile strengthens our understanding of the link between Brazil and Africa 240 million years ago
A newly identified carnivorous lizard might look like a dinosaur to most observers, but it is actually an early ancestor of today’s crocodiles.
Called Tainrakuasuchus bellator, a name partly taken from Latin for “warrior” or “fighter,” this armored reptile lived 240 million years ago, just before dinosaurs appeared.
As a member of Pseudosuchia (the precursors of modern crocodiles and alligators), it belonged to one of the leading groups of dominant predators during the Triassic Period.
This new species, described in the peer-reviewed Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, measured about 2.4m in length and weighed around 60kg.
It relied on a long neck and quick, agile movements to capture prey, then used a slender jaw lined with sharp, recurved teeth to grip its target and prevent escape.
Predatory behavior and anatomical distinctions
“This animal was an active predator, but despite its relatively large size, it was far from the largest hunter of its time with the same ecosystem home to giants as big as seven meters long,” explains lead author Dr. Rodrigo Temp Müller, who led a team of palaeontologists from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, in Brazil.
Pseudosuchia were a diverse group of animals capable of tackling robust prey, as well as small hunters specialized in catching swift animals.
“Although its appearance superficially resembles that of a dinosaur, Tainrakuasuchus bellator does not belong to that group. One of the clearest ways for us to distinguish it from dinosaurs lies in the structure of the pelvis where the characteristics of its hip and femur joints are very different.”
Dr. Müller adds: “Tainrakuasuchus bellator’s discovery represents the complexity of the ecosystem at the time, with different pseudosuchia species – varying in sizes and hunting strategies – occupying specific ecological niches.
“Its discovery helps illuminate a key moment in the history of life, the period that preceded the rise of the dinosaurs.”
Excavation and fossil reconstruction
Dr. Müller and his team uncovered the fossils during a May 2025 excavation in the municipality of Dona Francisca in southern Brazil. They found a partial skeleton embedded in rock that included sections of the lower jaw, vertebral column, and pelvic girdle.
These remains allowed researchers to infer several behaviors of the animal and confirm that Tainrakuasuchus bellator had a back covered with bony plates called osteoderms, features also seen in modern crocodiles. Although the limbs were not recovered, the team believes that, like its close relatives, the species moved on all four limbs.
The researchers have named the animal Tainrakuasuchus. The name blends the Guarani terms tain (“tooth”) and rakua (“pointed”) with the Greek word suchus (“crocodile”). This combination highlights the creature’s notably sharp teeth.
The ‘bellator’ part of its name comes from the Latin word for “warrior” or “fighter”- which the authors state “honors the people of Rio Grande do Sul, symbolizing their strength, resilience, and fighting spirit, especially in light of the recent floods that have affected the state.”
Geological connections between Brazil and Africa
Dr. Müller describes Tainrakuasuchus bellator’s discovery as “extremely rare.” He explains it’s also further evidence of the ancient connection between Brazil and Africa during the Triassic Period – when the world’s continents were united into a single supercontinent, Pangaea.
Despite the diversity of pseudosuchians, they remain poorly understood, as fossils of some their lineages are extremely rare in the fossil record,” Dr. Müller says.
“The fossils we found underwent a meticulous preparation process in the laboratory, during which the surrounding rock was carefully removed.
“Once the anatomical details were revealed, we were delighted and really excited to reveal that the specimen represented a species previously unknown to science.
“What we uncovered was a species that belongs to a predator closely related to one (Mandasuchus tanyauchen) found in Tanzania.
“This connection between animals from South America and Africa can be understood in light of the Triassic Period’s paleogeography.”
He continues, “At that time, the continents were still united, which allowed the free dispersal of organisms across regions that are now separated by oceans. As a result, the faunas of Brazil and Africa shared several common elements, reflecting an intertwined evolutionary and ecological history.
“Tainrakuasuchus bellator would have lived in a region bordering a vast, arid desert – the same setting as where the first dinosaurs emerged.
“It shows that, in what is now southern Brazil, reptiles had already formed diverse communities adapted to various survival strategies. Moreover, this discovery reveals that such diversity was not an isolated phenomenon.”
A newly identified carnivorous lizard might look like a dinosaur to most observers, but it is actually an early ancestor of today’s crocodiles.
Called Tainrakuasuchus bellator, a name partly taken from Latin for “warrior” or “fighter,” this armored reptile lived 240 million years ago, just before dinosaurs appeared.
As a member of Pseudosuchia (the precursors of modern crocodiles and alligators), it belonged to one of the leading groups of dominant predators during the Triassic Period.
This new species, described in the peer-reviewed Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, measured about 2.4m in length and weighed around 60kg.
It relied on a long neck and quick, agile movements to capture prey, then used a slender jaw lined with sharp, recurved teeth to grip its target and prevent escape.
Predatory behavior and anatomical distinctions
“This animal was an active predator, but despite its relatively large size, it was far from the largest hunter of its time with the same ecosystem home to giants as big as seven meters long,” explains lead author Dr. Rodrigo Temp Müller, who led a team of palaeontologists from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, in Brazil.
Pseudosuchia were a diverse group of animals capable of tackling robust prey, as well as small hunters specialized in catching swift animals.
“Although its appearance superficially resembles that of a dinosaur, Tainrakuasuchus bellator does not belong to that group. One of the clearest ways for us to distinguish it from dinosaurs lies in the structure of the pelvis where the characteristics of its hip and femur joints are very different.”
Dr. Müller adds: “Tainrakuasuchus bellator’s discovery represents the complexity of the ecosystem at the time, with different pseudosuchia species – varying in sizes and hunting strategies – occupying specific ecological niches.
“Its discovery helps illuminate a key moment in the history of life, the period that preceded the rise of the dinosaurs.”
Excavation and fossil reconstruction
Dr. Müller and his team uncovered the fossils during a May 2025 excavation in the municipality of Dona Francisca in southern Brazil. They found a partial skeleton embedded in rock that included sections of the lower jaw, vertebral column, and pelvic girdle.
These remains allowed researchers to infer several behaviors of the animal and confirm that Tainrakuasuchus bellator had a back covered with bony plates called osteoderms, features also seen in modern crocodiles. Although the limbs were not recovered, the team believes that, like its close relatives, the species moved on all four limbs.
The researchers have named the animal Tainrakuasuchus. The name blends the Guarani terms tain (“tooth”) and rakua (“pointed”) with the Greek word suchus (“crocodile”). This combination highlights the creature’s notably sharp teeth.
The ‘bellator’ part of its name comes from the Latin word for “warrior” or “fighter”- which the authors state “honors the people of Rio Grande do Sul, symbolizing their strength, resilience, and fighting spirit, especially in light of the recent floods that have affected the state.”
Geological connections between Brazil and Africa
Dr. Müller describes Tainrakuasuchus bellator’s discovery as “extremely rare.” He explains it’s also further evidence of the ancient connection between Brazil and Africa during the Triassic Period – when the world’s continents were united into a single supercontinent, Pangaea.
Despite the diversity of pseudosuchians, they remain poorly understood, as fossils of some their lineages are extremely rare in the fossil record,” Dr. Müller says.
“The fossils we found underwent a meticulous preparation process in the laboratory, during which the surrounding rock was carefully removed.
“Once the anatomical details were revealed, we were delighted and really excited to reveal that the specimen represented a species previously unknown to science.
“What we uncovered was a species that belongs to a predator closely related to one (Mandasuchus tanyauchen) found in Tanzania.
“This connection between animals from South America and Africa can be understood in light of the Triassic Period’s paleogeography.”
He continues, “At that time, the continents were still united, which allowed the free dispersal of organisms across regions that are now separated by oceans. As a result, the faunas of Brazil and Africa shared several common elements, reflecting an intertwined evolutionary and ecological history.
“Tainrakuasuchus bellator would have lived in a region bordering a vast, arid desert – the same setting as where the first dinosaurs emerged.
“It shows that, in what is now southern Brazil, reptiles had already formed diverse communities adapted to various survival strategies. Moreover, this discovery reveals that such diversity was not an isolated phenomenon.”
It Looks Like a Dinosaur, but This 240-Million-Year-Old Beast Is Actually Something Else
“Extremely rare” discovery of this newly identified armor-plated carnivorous reptile strengthens our understanding of the link between Brazil and Africa 240 million years ago A newly identified carnivorous lizard might look like a dinosaur to most observers, but it is actually an early ancestor o
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