The new rhynchosaurus in Wyoming was named by the ancient people of the area.

Paleontologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced that they have discovered a new species of ancient reptile in the Popo Agie geological formation in Wyoming, USA. Described as a hyperodapedontine Rhynchosaurus genus, the name of this muscular, herbivorous relative of crocodiles besiiwo cooowuse.

The term means “large lizard from the Alcova region” and is attributed by the elders of the Arapaho tribe whose fossil specimens were found in their ancestral lands. The archaeological site is “exciting to do fieldwork because it’s exciting,” said article writer David Lovelace of UW-Madison. this geological formation has not been really studied for nearly a century”,

0.9 m long and spout, The rhynchosaurus creature is also related to modern-day crocodiles and birds. and walked the Earth about 250 to 227 million years ago. It was identified by distinctive rows of teeth in the form of plates used to grind and cut plants.

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Partnership with ancestral peoples

For several years, the study authors have been developing relationships with students at the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. teach them to analyze fossils and help name newly identified species. In this effort, seniors were also invited to collaborate with scientists.

Accustomed to excavating the area for almost three decades, Lovelace says she has learned to respect local practices, local autonomy, and above all respect their knowledge.

That way – the paleontologist says – “we get this multicultural and multi-generational interaction in the space of seniors, FWS students, UW-Madison students, and scientists. They work together to integrate western science, local science and traditional ecological knowledge.”.

The significance of the discovery of Beesiiwo cooowuse

The study, published April 10 in the journal Diversity, describes the discovery of the Rhynchosauria team—specifically Beesiiwo cooowuse—in Wyoming. Allows for more accurate dating of the age of the Popo Agie Formation in the CarnianThe geological age of the Triassic period, which occurred between 237 million and 227 million years ago.

“The biggest reason this is important is because Why did the first dinosaurs evolve at that time?”, explains Lovelace.

This means that these rock formations have the potential to preserve a part of North America’s fossil record that would otherwise not be preserved. This makes it a “unique window” to this diversity, he concludes.