240 million-year-old 'warrior' crocodile ancestor from Pangaea had plated armor — and it looked just like a dinosaur

Researchers have discovered the fossilized remains of a 240-million-year-old reptile named Tainrakuasuchus bellator, an ancestor of modern crocodiles that lived just before the age of dinosaurs. This "warrior" lizard, unearthed in Brazil, was about 7.9 feet long and weighed 130 pounds, possessing a long neck, sharp teeth, and a back covered in bony armor plates called osteoderms, similar to those found on present-day crocodiles. The discovery sheds light on the Pseudosuchia group, which includes crocodilians and dinosaurs, during the Triassic period when both lineages were diversifying. Tainrakuasuchus bellator belonged to the poposauroid subgroup, which is rarely found in South America, and its close relation to Mandasuchus tanyauchen found in Tanzania highlights the interconnectedness of Africa and South America when they were part of the supercontinent Pangaea. Despite being an active p... download the app to read more