Gondwanax paraisensis, a dog-sized reptile from 237 million years ago, may be one of the oldest dinosaurs, providing insights into the origins of plant-eating dinosaurs.
Paleontologists have long accepted that dinosaurs evolved from archosaurs in the Triassic period. The discovery of Gondwanax may refine this understanding of early dinosaur ancestry.
Steve Brusatte highlighted that while some early theropods and sauropods are known, evidence for early ornithischians has been scarce, suggesting they might be overlooked.
The absence of evidence for ancestral ornithischians led researchers to speculate that they were hiding in plain sight, potentially represented by Gondwanax paraisensis fossils.
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