The Pampaphoneus biccai 'was the largest terrestrial predator we know of from the Permian in South America.'
It sounds hard to believe, but even before dinosaurs were a thing, big, weird, and sometimes scary animals were wandering around the planet. A newly found example of such an odd creature was discovered in a rural part of São Gabriel in southern Brazil—the. According to the researchers studying the 265-million-year-old beast, it was likely the toughest, biggest, and blood-thirstiest carnivore that South America had seen at the time.
“This animal was a gnarly-looking beast, and it must have evoked sheer dread in anything that crossed its path,” Stephanie E. Pierce, a professor at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard and co-author of a new study describing the creature, said. “Its discovery is key to providing a glimpse into the community structure of terrestrial ecosystems just prior to the biggest mass extinction of all time. A spectacular find that demonstrates the global importance of Brazil’s fossil record.
The fossil, found in middle Permian rocks, included a complete skull and some skeletal bones such as ribs and arms. This specimen is only the second of thegenus to be found in South America, though other similar specimens have been spotted in Russia. Its 15-inch-long skull is the largest of its kind ever found intact. In its prime, thewould have weighed around 881 pounds and reached around nine feet in length—a fearful Permian predator, to say the least.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fossils reveal 'gnarly-looking' predators who roamed Earth long before dinosaursThe creatures likely were present in South America 40 million years before dinosaurs did.
Read more »
Broncos offense faces challenge of rebounding vs. gnarly Commanders defenseBroncos offense faces challenge of rebounding vs. gnarly Commanders defense. Can Wilson find more explosive plays vs a team tough on third down?
Read more »
Surfer shows off gnarly injuries from shark bite to the face“It felt like a bear trap crunching on my face,” Sumersett said of the moment the shark’s teeth tore into his face.
Read more »
Pennsylvania Fugitive’s Escape Is Haunting Déjà Vu for One Brazil FamilyBefore he was convicted of murder in the U.S., Danelo Cavalcante was accused of another killing in Brazil.
Read more »
Oscars: Brazil Submits Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Doc ‘Pictures Of Ghosts’ For Best International Feature FilmBrazil has selected Kleber Mendonça Filho’s documentary Pictures of Ghosts as its entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the 2024 Academy Awards. Mixing archive and contemporary f…
Read more »
Soocer-Marquinhos earns Brazil late win over PeruBrazil made it two wins from two in 2026 World Cup qualifying on Tuesday after a late goal from Marquinhos earned them a 1-0 win over Peru in Lima.
Read more »