Buriolestes

Buriol's robber

• Buriol · Place/family name (Portuguese) · Buriol, the locality/family linked to the discovery site
• lestes · Greek · robber, thief

The name combines "Buriol", a reference to the Buriol locality/family associated with the fossil site in São João do Polêsine, southern Brazil, with the Greek "lestes", meaning robber or thief. It means roughly "Buriol's robber". "Robber" suits a small, agile early sauropodomorph with teeth suited to a carnivorous diet.

Named by

Cabreira et al.

Year named

2016

Period

Late Triassic

Stage

Carnian

Found in

Santa Maria Formation, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

A small early sauropodomorph, probably carnivorous or omnivorous, and one of the earliest known members of the lineage that led to the long-necked sauropods. The type species is Buriolestes schultzi. The exact origin of "Buriol" in the name is stated with moderate confidence.