Triassic vegetarian dinosaurs live in concern of huge , croc - like beasts that grew up to 10 meter ( 33 human foot ) long and were equipped with serrated , curving gnashers . have it away as therauisuchians , they roamed most of the world and proceed extinct 200 million years ago . A fresh study of dodo from southerly Africa reveal sixth sense into some of the last survivors of this fearsome group and shows they lived surprisingly nigh to the Antarctic circle , agitate their physical structure to their absolute limits .
report their findings in theJournal of African Earth Sciences , a team from theUniversity of Witwatersrandre - analyzed pearl left behind by rauisuchians in theElliot Formationin Lesotho and South Africa . Their specimen include dentition , parts of jaws , physical structure armor , and hind leg bones . Between them , these fossils represented two different kinds of rauisuchian .
“ These ancient fogey provide us with evidence of how at least two piranha species hunted vegetarian dinosaurs 210 million years ago , ” allege first author and master copy ’s student Rick Tolchard in astatement . “ It is astonishing to stick with the clues left behind in ossified dentition , jaws , limbs and other fossils to help us order the ancient tale of life in southern Africa . ”
While these ancient relatives of crocodilians fare in a sort of form and sizes , the southerly African fossils are some of the largest extremity of the group . Maxing out at about 10 meters ( 33 foundation ) , these giants had huge skull ready to chomp down on herbivorous dinosaurs and therapsids ( reptile related to mammal ascendent ) that look tasty . The researchers note that the predators would have had an abundance of creatures to feed on in southern Africa at the time .
" Rick ’s field of study demonstrates the value of re - examining onetime specimens , and now we finally know what was preying on all those herbivorous dinosaurs!“saidTolchard ’s advisor Professor Jonah Choiniere .
The rauisuchians were an order of archosaurian reptile , a large group of reptilian creatures that includes the dinosaurs , out crocs , pterosaurs , as well as the chick andcrocodiliansalive today . Back in the Middle to Upper Triassic , they were top predators and were particularly large for non - dinosaur . In fact , their remains have been mistake for dinosaurs and their relatives before . When they died out around 200 million years ago , they left a maw to be filled by large , carnivorous dinosaurs .
The team note in their paper that rauisuchian fossils have been found in multiple level of rock in the Elliot Formation , paint a picture there could be more bones waiting to be bring out . They trust that succeeding finds will assist us learn more about this strange and somewhat mysterious group of toothy Triassic beasties .
