Buriolestes schultzi is an early sauropodomorph from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil. The group later produced long-necked herbivores, but Buriolestes appears to have eaten animal prey. Several specimens, including one with a nearly complete articulated skull, make it one of the more anatomically informative early dinosaurs from the Carnian.
Quick facts
| Species | Buriolestes schultzi Cabreira et al., 2016 |
|---|---|
| Age | Late Triassic, Carnian, about 233 million years ago |
| Formation | Candelária Sequence, Santa Maria succession, Brazil |
| Type specimen | ULBRA-PVT280; additional material includes CAPPA/UFSM 0035 |
| Group | Early Sauropodomorpha |
| Diet | Small animals inferred from teeth and anatomy |
Evidence guide
Recurved, serrated crowns are directly preserved. They support animal-eating, but no gut contents or identified prey establish a specific menu.
The endocast preserves cavity contours, including olfactory and cerebellar regions. It is not the brain itself and cannot directly measure intelligence or a particular behaviour.
The holotype and later individuals preserve different parts, including a near-complete skull in CAPPA/UFSM 0035. Combining them describes the species, not one complete individual.
Two discoveries, a broader skeleton
The first named specimen, ULBRA-PVT280, was collected at the Buriol site near São João do Polêsine in Rio Grande do Sul. The genus and species were formally described in 2016. The name refers to the Buriol locality and uses the suffix -lestes, “robber”; schultzi honours palaeontologist Cesar Schultz.
A second, more complete specimen, CAPPA/UFSM 0035, was recovered in 2015 at the same locality and described in 2018. It preserves an articulated skull and much of the skeleton, although the tail is absent. Other referred material adds separate pieces. These fossils can be combined cautiously to describe the species, but they do not all belong to one individual.
A small predator in a plant-eating lineage
Buriolestes had recurved teeth with serrated edges. Their shape is consistent with cutting flesh, and analyses of the teeth, body and braincase support a faunivorous lifestyle. The conclusion is stronger than a guess from one tooth because several anatomical lines point in the same direction. Still, there are no stomach contents to identify prey or show how often the animal fed.
This diet is notable because most later sauropodomorphs were plant-eaters or omnivores, and the lineage eventually included the largest terrestrial animals. Buriolestes shows that early branches did not all share the later giant-herbivore lifestyle. It should not be treated as a direct ancestor of a particular sauropod; it is a separate species that helps map early variation.
Estimates commonly put its length around one and a half to two metres. Values depend on which specimen and reconstruction are used, and mass estimates are similarly model-based. The larger referred remains need not represent the same growth stage as the holotype. The available sample reveals a small dinosaur, but exact population-wide size variation remains uncertain.
What the braincase can tell us
Computed tomography of CAPPA/UFSM 0035 allowed researchers to reconstruct the endocranial cavity, the space that housed the brain and associated tissues. Its cast has an elongated olfactory tract and a relatively developed flocculus, a cerebellar region involved in coordinating visual and balance information.
These are observations of the inner surface of the braincase, not preserved brain tissue. The animal's brain may not have filled every part of the cavity, and a feature's function is inferred by comparison with living animals and other fossils. The endocast does not reveal an intelligence score or prove a particular hunting tactic. It contributes one anatomical line alongside the jaws and limbs.
Relationships and the early dinosaur landscape
Phylogenetic analyses place Buriolestes among Sauropodomorpha despite some features that resemble theropods. Such overlap is expected in early dinosaur evolution: related branches retained ancestral traits, and similar feeding demands can produce convergent anatomy. Placement depends on a suite of characters rather than one tooth or a predator-like skull.
The fossil-bearing levels of the Santa Maria succession are Carnian in age, roughly 233 million years old. The local fauna includes other early dinosaurs and non-dinosaur archosaurs. These fossils come from a regional sequence assembled through time, not one simultaneous census. Shared rocks alone do not show that two named animals interacted.
The evidence supports an early sauropodomorph with a faunivorous feeding pattern and unusually informative cranial anatomy. Colour, feathers, social behaviour and details of a hunt remain reconstruction. Comparisons with other early dinosaurs are available in the A–Z dinosaur catalogue.
Why Buriolestes matters
Most early dinosaurs are known from fragmentary bones that leave large gaps in skull anatomy. The articulated skull of CAPPA/UFSM 0035 provides a rare reference for interpreting teeth, jaws and the braincase in a basal sauropodomorph. Additional specimens broaden the picture without turning it into a complete life history.
Buriolestes captures an early stage in a lineage whose later members became enormous herbivores. It shows that ancestry and ecology are not the same thing: a dinosaur could belong to the sauropodomorph branch while retaining a small-bodied, animal-eating way of life.
Frequently asked questions
Was Buriolestes a sauropodomorph?
Yes. Analyses place it among early sauropodomorph dinosaurs, the branch that later included giant long-necked sauropods.
What did Buriolestes eat?
Its recurved, serrated teeth and other anatomy support a faunivorous diet. No stomach contents preserve a specific meal.
What did the brain scan show?
CT reconstruction of CAPPA/UFSM 0035 revealed an endocranial cast with an elongated olfactory tract and a well-developed flocculus. These features inform sensory and balance hypotheses, not a direct measure of intelligence.
How many Buriolestes specimens are known?
Multiple specimens have been referred to the species, including the holotype and a more complete individual with an articulated skull. Their combined anatomy is useful, but they are separate animals.