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BRASILITHERIUM
(brah-sil-e-fe-re-um)
meaning: "Brazil beast"
Brasilitherium
Named By: J. F. Bonaparte, A. G. Martinelli, C. L. Schultz & R. Rubert in 2003
Time Period: Late Triassic, 240-200 Ma
Location: Brazil - Caturrita Formation
Size: About 12 centimetres long
Diet: Insectivore
Fossil(s): Partial remains
Classification: | Chordata | Synapsida | Therapsida | Cynodontia | Brasilodontidae |
About

Brasilitherium ("Brazilian beast") is a genus of cynodont that lived during the Late Triassic in what is now Brazil. The etymology is from Brazil and therium means mammal in Greek, therefore Brasilitherium means mammal from Brazil. Its length was approximately 12 cm and it weighed 20 grams. It fed on insects, making it an insectivore. Brasilitherium was found in Paleorrota (Caturrita Formation), a geopark located in Brazil. Brasilitherium represents a transition between advanced cynodonts and mammals, having features of both and having early evolution of certain mammalian features such as the nasal cavity and hearing.

Read more about Brasilitherium at Wikipedia
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