They found a fossil of the largest South American predator before dinosaurs

These were creatures of medium and large size, among which were carnivorous and herbivorous representatives. They were dinocephalians, meaning they had thick cranial bones, which led to the group’s name, which translates from Greek as “terrible head.” Although well known in South Africa and Russia, these animals are rare in other parts of the world. It’s still that Pampafoneus bicayensis was discovered in Brazil.

This is the largest predator before the appearance dinosaurs in South America, 265 million years ago.

In a new study published in the journal Zoological Journal of the Linnean SocietyAn international team of researchers reports the astonishing discovery of a beautifully preserved fossil of this specimen.

The impressive fossil includes a complete skull and some skeletal bones, such as ribs and arm bones. Pampafoneusbelonging to an early clade of therapsids called dinocephalians, lived shortly before the largest extinction event in Earth’s history, which wiped out 86% of all animal species worldwide.

“The fossil was found in Middle Permian rocks, an area where bones are not very common, but they always provide pleasant surprises,” said lead study author Matheus A. Costa Santos, a graduate student in the Paleontological Laboratory of the Federal University. Pampa (Unipampa). “Find a new skull Pampafoneus “After all this time, it was extremely important to expand our knowledge of this animal, which was previously difficult to distinguish from its Russian relatives.”

Co-author Professor Stephanie E. Pierce of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Mastozoology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology participated in the study of the animal as part of her ongoing work with the lead author. and laboratory director Prof. Felipe Pinheiro (UNIPAMPA) on the Permo-Triassic fossil record of Brazil.

“This animal looked twisted and must have caused pure fear in anything that came its way,” Pierce said. “Their discovery is key to understanding the community structure of terrestrial ecosystems shortly before the largest mass extinction of all time. “An impressive find demonstrating the global significance of Brazil’s fossil record.”

“Pampafoneus “It played the same ecological role as modern big cats,” Pinheiro said. “It was the largest land predator we know from the Permian of South America. The animal had large, sharp fangs adapted for capturing prey. Its dentition and skull architecture suggest that its bite was strong enough to chew bones, like modern hyenas.