A 220 million-year-old fossil underwent a computed tomography scan at Instituto do Cerebro do RS on the morning of 17 July. The piece, of about 44cm, is the skull of a Proterochampsa nodosa , a distant cousin of the crocodile and the dinosaur that should have measured a total of about 2.30 meters.

The fossil has been part of the collection of the PUCRS Science and Technology Museum since the 70s and was removed for the doctoral student Daniel Simão Oliveira to develop his study. “Tomography allows us to see the structure of the fossil from the inside, making it possible to evaluate the teeth, the jaw and the cranial box”, explains Daniel. He studies in the post-graduate program in Animal Biodiversity at Center for Natural and Exact Sciences at the Federal University of Santa Maria , and will work in collaboration with PUCRS, which provided the study material. Marco Brandalise , teacher from PUCRS School of Sciences and responsible for the MCT Fossil Collection, it is the intermediary between the two institutions for the progress of the research project Daniel's research.

The species was found in the city of Candelária, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, but this group of prehistoric reptiles also existed in Argentina, so it is a type of Latin American animal. During the Triassic, when crocodiles were still terrestrial, Proterochampsa and their relatives were the main aquatic predators, dominating rivers and lakes. The fossil of Proterochampsa will be one of the focuses of Daniel's doctoral student, who intends to compare the characteristics of the current species with the old one, in addition to redescribing the animal to present a more complete set about the fossil and even define the correct name, since it was later renamed Barberenachampsa . “It will be part of Daniel's doctoral project to even make sure the correct name to be kept for this species”, says Brandalise.

In order to find these and other answers, Daniel will dedicate the next four years to the completion of the doctorate he has just started.