A newly discovered, carnivorous lizard ostensibly represents what most casual onlookers would perhaps perceive to be a dinosaur; however, it is in fact a precursor of the modern crocodile.
Named Tainrakuasuchus bellator, partially derived from Latin meaning for "warrior" or "fighter", this armour-plated reptile lived 240 million years ago just before the dinosaurs.
And, as a Pseudosuchia (the precursors of modern crocodiles and alligators), it was among a group of the top, most dominant predators of its time in the Triassic Period.
This particular new species – detailed, today, in the peer-reviewed Journal of Systematic Palaeontology – was approximately 2.4m long and weighed 60kg.
It used its long neck and agile mobility to prey on victims using quick and precise movements, before gripping its prey using its slender jaw profile full of sharp, recurved teeth to hold the target, preventing them from escaping.
"This animal was an active predator, but despite its relatively large size, it was far from the largest hunter of its time with the same ecosystem home to giants as big as seven meters long," explains lead author Dr Rodrigo Temp Müller, who led a team of palaeontologists from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, in Brazil.
"Pseudosuchia were a diverse group of animals capable of tackling robust prey, as well as small hunters specialized in catching swift animals.
"Although its appearance superficially resembles that of a dinosaur, Tainrakuasuchus bellator does not belong to that group. One of the clearest ways for us to distinguish it from dinosaurs lies in the structure of the pelvis where the characteristics of its hip and femur joints are very different."
Dr Müller adds: "Tainrakuasuchus bellator's discovery represents the complexity of the ecosystem at the time, with different pseudosuchia species – varying in sizes and hunting strategies – occupying specific ecological niches.
"Its discovery helps illuminate a key moment in the history of life, the period that preceded the rise of the dinosaurs."
Dr Müller and his team discovered its fossils during a dig in the municipality of Dona Francisca, in southern Brazil, during May 2025.
They unearthed, surrounded in rock, a partial skeleton preserving parts of the lower jaw, vertebral column, and pelvic girdle.
From this they could reveal many behaviours of the creature, as well as the fact that Tainrakuasuchus bellator had a back covered by bony plates known as osteoderms, structures that are also present in modern crocodiles.
And, although the limbs were not preserved, the expert team believe, alike its close relatives, it moved on all four limbs.
Its name they have given to the creature is 'Tainrakuasuchus' combining the Guarani words tain ("tooth") and rakua ("pointed") with the Greek suchus ("crocodile"), in reference to the animal's sharp teeth.
The 'bellator' part of its name comes from the Latin word for "warrior" or "fighter"- which the authors state "honours the people of Rio Grande do Sul, symbolizing their strength, resilience, and fighting spirit, especially in light of the recent floods that have affected the state".
Dr Müller describes Tainrakuasuchus bellator's discovery as "extremely rare". He explains it's also further evidence of the ancient connection between Brazil and Africa during the Triassic Period – when the world's continents were united into a single supercontinent, Pangaea.
"Despite the diversity of pseudosuchians, they remain poorly understood, as fossils of some their lineages are extremely rare in the fossil record," Dr Müller says.
"The fossils we found underwent a meticulous preparation process in the laboratory, during which the surrounding rock was carefully removed.
"Once the anatomical details were revealed, we were delighted and really excited to reveal that the specimen represented a species previously unknown to science.
"What we uncovered was a species that belongs to a predator closely related to one (Mandasuchus tanyauchen) found in Tanzania.
"This connection between animals from South America and Africa can be understood in light of the Triassic Period's paleogeography.
"At that time, the continents were still united, which allowed the free dispersal of organisms across regions that are now separated by oceans. As a result, the faunas of Brazil and Africa shared several common elements, reflecting an intertwined evolutionary and ecological history.
"Tainrakuasuchus bellator would have lived in a region bordering a vast, arid desert – the same setting as where the first dinosaurs emerged.
"It shows that, in what is now southern Brazil, reptiles had already formed diverse communities adapted to various survival strategies. Moreover, this discovery reveals that such diversity was not an isolated phenomenon."
