Protorosaurus


Protorosaurus is a genus of lizard-like early archosauromorph reptiles. Members of the genus lived during the late Permian period in Germany and Brazil. Once believed to have been an ancestor to lizards, Protorosaurus is now known to be one of the oldest members of the lineage that would eventually lead to archosaurs such as crocodilians and dinosaurs.

Description

Protorosaurus grew up to in length, and was a slender, lizard-like animal, with long legs and a long neck. Its body form suggests that it was fast-moving, although it may have fed primarily on insects. Protorosaurus was closely related to Czatkowiella from the Early Triassic of Poland.

Discovery

In 1914, a new ceratopsian dinosaur found by Lawrence Lambe was again given the name Protorosaurus. When Lambe found that the name had already been used for the early archosauromorph, he renamed his ceratopsian Chasmosaurus.
In Geopark of Paleorrota, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 3 vertebrae and some bones of the animal were found.

Relationships

The cladogram below follows an analysis by Ezcurra, and highlights the position of Protorosaurus among other early archosauromorph reptiles.