Overview

• The fossil was discovered in the town of Paraiso do Sul in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state and dates back to the Triassic period.
• Gondwanax paraisensis, a silesaurid, is roughly the size of a small dog and weighs between 3 and 6 kilograms.
• Paleontologists are exploring whether silesaurids were true dinosaurs or precursors to them.
• The fossil was found in 2014 by Pedro Lucas Porcela Aurelio and donated to a local university in 2021.
• Research led by paleontologist Rodrigo Temp Müller highlights the fossil's significance in understanding dinosaur evolution.