240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles

240-million-year-old reptile fossil reveals a lost chapter before dinosaurs and crocodiles

Scientists have identified a previously unknown reptile species in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, that lived approximately 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic Period. Named Silescelida acristata, this fossil was discovered in the Dona Francisca region within the UNESCO Quarta Colônia Geopark and was formally described following the rediscovery of a missing fragment in 2022. The specimen represents an important contribution to understand…