230 million year old dinosaur nicknamed “Godfather of T-Rex” found in Brazil

The “Godfather of T-Rex” who lived 230 million years ago and is the oldest relative of carnivorous dinosaurs was unearthed in Brazil.

Called the Erythrovenator, it was about six and a half feet long with razor-sharp teeth and claws.

The bizarre-looking beast was also covered in bristles. It is the most primitive of its kind ever discovered.

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 fearsome and carnivorous dinosaurs, such as the Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor of Jurassic Park fame. ‘

He added: ‘But Erythrovenator was about 150 million years before them. It comes from the dawn of the dinosaur age. ‘

The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of the scariest terrestrial predators ever to live. Late Triassic theropod fossils are extremely rare.

Dr Muller said: ‘Despite its small size, the animal was an apex predator. He was a fast and ferocious hunter with strong leg muscles.

‘The animal had sharp, blade-like teeth, like other early theropods. We believe her skin had feather-like structures. ‘

An analysis of the bones showed that Erythrovenator was a miniature T-Rex. He also shared traits with Velociraptor and Spinosaurus, the main monster in Jurassic Park III.

Dr. Muller joked: “You could say he’s” T-Rex’s Godfather. “

The T-Rex weighed up to eight tons and reached 40 feet in length – about the size of a school bus – from the nose to the tip of its powerful tail.

Erythovenator is believed to have torn lizards and tattered primitive mammals. He would also eat 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 Jacui hunter”, from the color of the fossil and of a nearby river.

Dr Muller said: ‘We discovered this site via satellite imagery in 2014. The rock layers are exposed around a lake.

“Since then I have led several expeditions there. Access is not that difficult, we can reach the outcrop with our 4 × 4 pickup truck on dry days. ‘

The sediment layer contains a treasure trove of unique fossils. It is a cemetery of animals from the distant past that were all unknown before.

Dr Muller said: ‘Therefore, Erythrovenator probably comes from a poorly explored horizon, which produces some of the oldest dinosaurs. In addition to this dinosaur, the “Niemeyer Site” has returned several animals related to mammals. Erythrovenator would have preyed upon these precursors.

Known as cynodont, they included a wolf-fanged plant eater called Siriusgnathus, and the smaller insectivore Agudotherium.

The land mass of the Earth was a supercontinent that scientists call Pangea. Dinosaurs were rare components of terrestrial ecosystems.

They continued to rule the Earth during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, from 201 to 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 went extinct at the end of the Triassic.

A “genealogical” investigation suggests that Erythrovenator is one of the more primitive theropods. The first members are carnivorous animals. Hence, the new dinosaur is a meat eater. It helps us understand how the group has evolved. ‘

Erythrovenator, described in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences, may not have had any predators in itself.

Dr Muller said: ‘So far, the only evidence from the site of an animal that it may have eaten Erythrovenator is a large, isolated tooth. It probably belongs to a large primitive crocodile.

He added: ‘This layer provides a window into how dinosaurs started to age. We will continue to explore it to understand the fauna composition.’

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