Karamuru
Encyclopedia
Karamuru is a genus
of prestosuchid
archosaur
from the Middle Triassic
-age Santa Maria Formation
of Brazil
. It was found in the Paleorrota
geopark
. It is based on remains that had been assigned to Prestosuchus chininiquensis
, including a nearly complete skull. There is some uncertainty about the publication date and authors; as noted by Langer et al. (2007), Kischlat (2000) records it as having been published by Kischlat and Barberena, with no year given. Later, Schultz and Langer considered it to be a junior synonym of Prestosuchus.
Karamuru would have been a carnivorous
animal, perhaps 7 meters long (23 ft) and weighing 700 kilograms (1500 lb).
Its name relates to the story of Diogo Álvares Correia, a settler called the "Caramuru" by the Tupinambá tribe.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of prestosuchid
Prestosuchidae
Prestosuchids were a group of Triassic carnivorous archosaurs. They were large active terrestrial apex predators, ranging from around in length. They succeeded the Erythrosuchidae as the largest archosaurs of their time...
archosaur
Archosaur
Archosaurs are a group of diapsid amniotes whose living representatives consist of modern birds and crocodilians. This group also includes all extinct non-avian dinosaurs, many extinct crocodilian relatives, and pterosaurs. Archosauria, the archosaur clade, is a crown group that includes the most...
from the Middle Triassic
Middle Triassic
In the geologic timescale, the Middle Triassic is the second of three epochs of the Triassic period or the middle of three series in which the Triassic system is divided. It spans the time between 245 ± 1.5 Ma and 228 ± 2 Ma...
-age Santa Maria Formation
Santa Maria Formation
The Santa Maria Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It has a late Ladinian – early Carnian age , and is notable for its fossils of early dinosaurs, including the herrerasaur Staurikosaurus, the basal saurischian Teyuwasu, and the basal sauropodomorph...
of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It was found in the Paleorrota
Paleorrota
Paleorrota , is a geopark located in the center of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The rocks and fossils found along the route date back to the times when there was only one supercontinent Pangaea....
geopark
Geopark
A Geopark is defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in its UNESCO Geoparks International Network of Geoparks programme as follows:...
. It is based on remains that had been assigned to Prestosuchus chininiquensis
Prestosuchus
Prestosuchus is an extinct genus of a group of rauisuchians called prestosuchids. Friedrich von Huene named the genus in honor of Vicentino Prestes de Almeida....
, including a nearly complete skull. There is some uncertainty about the publication date and authors; as noted by Langer et al. (2007), Kischlat (2000) records it as having been published by Kischlat and Barberena, with no year given. Later, Schultz and Langer considered it to be a junior synonym of Prestosuchus.
Karamuru would have been a carnivorous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
animal, perhaps 7 meters long (23 ft) and weighing 700 kilograms (1500 lb).
Its name relates to the story of Diogo Álvares Correia, a settler called the "Caramuru" by the Tupinambá tribe.