A team of paleontologists from Brazil, Argentina and the United States found the fossilized remains of a creature they identify as a pterosaur ancestor at an excavation site in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In an article published in the journal NatureThe group describes the fossil’s characteristics, where it was found, its condition, and where it fits in with other ancient creatures.

Previous studies have shown that during the Late and Middle Triassic, dinosaurs became the dominant life form on land, while pterosaurs dominated the skies. In this new effort, researchers have found fossils from before land-dwelling pterosaur ancestors roamed parts of what is now Brazil. The fossil is dated to about 230 million years ago.

The team describes the fossil as a well-preserved partial skeleton found embedded in a layer of rock. It is also stated to be a previously unidentified lagerpetid. They named it Venetoraptor gassenae.

The fossil showed a small, four-legged, bipedal creature that lived on land, probably no more than 0.3 meters tall and no more than a meter long. It also had a toothless beak similar to the beaks of modern raptors.

They also had large hands with scythe-like claws. The researchers suggest that V. gassenae was probably a special creature. Its claws appear to have been used for climbing trees or perhaps grabbing prey. And it probably used its beak in much the same way as modern carnivores—for feeding, vocalization, and even sexual intercourse.

The fossil was found in a layer of rock in the Santa Maria Formation, located in the Parana Basin and containing many ancient fossils. The team states that its age indicates that it coexisted with the earliest dinosaurs.

The finding adds further evidence to theories that lagerpetids were more closely related to pterosaurs than dinosaurs. Such theories suggest that lagerpetids and pterosaurs eventually shared a common ancestor, leading the latter to dominate the skies. Source