What changed
2026-07-25 22:26 UTC → 2026-07-27 02:22 UTC ·
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In June 2026 saw an international team reported report soft‑tissue preservation and steroid biomarkers in a 113‑million‑year‑old Brazilian pterosaur. By In July, the Triassic reptile *Silescelida acristata* from the UNESCO‑listed Geopark Quarta Colônia was described, extending extended Euparkeriidae into South America, while a parallel AMNH study used high‑resolution tomography to argue that turtles share a closer ancestor with crocodiles and birds within archosauromorphs. The same month, the Devonian marine mollusk *Actinopteria grahni* from Paraná was announced, shedding light on 400‑million‑year‑old illuminated ancient shallow‑sea ecosystems and hinting at natural‑gas prospects. A follow‑up report on 12 July confirmed the significance of *Silescelida* and *Actinopteria* discoveries, emphasizing their contribution to understanding early reptile diversification and deep‑time marine environments. On 18 July, Brazilian ecosystems, and German researchers unveiled a new Cretaceous beetle family, Cratocupedidae, from the Crato Formation in Ceará. Micro‑CT scanning revealed detailed internal anatomy, marking the first record of Archostemata in South America and filling family Cratocupedidae filled a geographic gap in early Cretaceous insect distribution. On 23 July, a records. A well‑preserved Cretaceous snake, *Tametara mirim*, was described from São Paulo state. Dating to 75–85 million years ago, the specimen includes about 60 % of the skull and 70 % of the vertebral column, permitting reconstruction was described, revealing a burrowing lifestyle through CT‑based reconstructions of brain and inner‑ear structures. Its morphology suggests a fossorial lifestyle anatomy. Later in July, two additional reports—published on 23 July and provides rare insight into early neurosensory adaptations 26 July—provided further analysis of snakes, representing the first articulated snake fossil from Brazil *Tametara* specimen. High‑resolution scanning confirmed the dense skull roof and one of only four comparable Cretaceous reduced visual centers, reinforcing the hypothesis that early snakes worldwide. were fossorial. The study, published in *Nature* and led by Tiago Simões with collaborators from Princeton, Helsinki and São Paulo, underscores studies also refined neuro‑anatomical interpretations, underscoring the rarity of such complete specimens articulated Cretaceous snake fossils and strengthens strengthening the hypothesis view that the earliest snakes were adapted to underground habitats. adaptation preceded later snake diversification. Together, these discoveries illustrate findings highlight Brazil’s expanding role growing prominence in both vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology and the growing application expanding use of advanced imaging techniques to uncover deep‑time biodiversity.