Remains of the T-Rex’s oldest relative have been excavated in Brazil
Remains of the oldest family member of the Tyrannosaurus Rex – who roamed Earth 230 million years ago – have been excavated in Brazil.
The prehistoric beast, called Erythrovenator, was about six and a half feet long with razor-sharp teeth and claws and bristles.
It is the most primitive of its kind ever discovered.
Erythrovenator, the rare ‘godfather’ of Tyrannosaurus Rex, has been excavated in Brazil
Paleontologist Dr. Rodrigo Muller, of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, said: “It is one of the first theropods. This is the lineage of scary and carnivorous dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor from Jurassic Park fame. ‘
He added, ‘But Erythrovenator was about 150 million years before them. It comes from the beginning of the dinosaur era. ‘
The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of the most terrifying land predators that ever lived.
Theropoda fossils from the late Triassic are extremely rare.
Erythrovenator jacuiensis lived in the Triassic and about 150 million years before T-Rex
Dr. Muller said, “Despite its small size, the animal was an apex predator. He was a fast and vicious hunter, with strong leg muscles.
The animal had sharp, blade-like teeth, like other early theropods. We think his skin had feather-like structures. ‘
Analysis of the bones showed that Erythrovenator was a miniature T-Rex. It also shared traits with Velociraptor and Spinosaurus, one of the dinosaurs more commonly seen in Jurassic Park III.
Dr. Muller joked: ‘You could say it’s’ The Godfather of T Rex’.
The fragmented remains of the dinosaur were unearthed on a farm in Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and named Erythrovenator jacuiensis after the Jacui River near the site
T-Rex weighed up to eight tons and was 12 meters long – about the size of a school bus – from its snout to the tip of its powerful tail.
Erythovenator is believed to have torn lizards and primitive mammals to shreds. It would also have eaten insects.
The fragmented remains, including a femur, which is the longest and strongest in the body, were excavated on a farm in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul.
Its full name Erythrovenator jacuiensis means ‘red hunter from the Jacui’, named for the color of the fossil and a nearby river.
Dr. Muller said: “We discovered this site via satellite images in 2014. The rock layers are being uncovered in the vicinity of a lake.
‘Since then I have led several expeditions there. The access is not that difficult, on dry days we can reach the access with our 4×4 pick-up. ‘
An artist’s impression of the dinosaur, which was about six and a half feet long and had razor-sharp teeth and claws, as well as bristles along its body
The sediment layer contains a wealth of unique fossils. It is a graveyard of animals from a distant past that were previously all unknown.
Dr. Muller said, “Therefore, Erythrovenator probably comes from a poorly explored horizon, yielding some of the oldest dinosaurs.
In addition to this dinosaur, the ‘Niemeyer Site’ produced several mammal-related animals. Erythrovenator is said to have hunted these forerunners. ‘
Known as cynodonts, they include a wolf-like herbivore called Siriusgnathus, and the lesser opossum-sized insectivore Agudotherium.
Earth’s landmass was a supercontinent that scientists call Pangea. Dinosaurs were rare components of the land ecosystem.
They ruled the Earth during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Period, between 201 and 66 million years ago.
Dr. Muller explained: “But during their origin and early radiation, dinosaurs were ‘humble’ animals in a world dominated by other ancient reptiles that became extinct at the end of the Triassic.
A ‘genealogical’ study suggests that Erythrovenator is one of the most primitive theropods.
The first members are carnivorous animals. Therefore, the new dinosaur is a carnivore. It helps us understand how the group has evolved. ‘
Erythrovenator, described in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences, may not have had predators of its own.
Dr. Muller said, “So far, the only evidence of an animal possibly eating Erythrovenator is an isolated large tooth. It is probably from a large primitive crocodile. ‘
He added, ‘This layer provides a window into how dinosaurs started to age. We will continue to research it to understand the faunal composition. ‘
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