Most Complete Fossil of Pre-Dinosaur Creature Found in Brazil

(Gabriel de Mello, Lutheran University).

Paleontologists in Brazil have reportedly unearthed a near complete fossil of a giant predator that roamed the planet before the dinosaurs.

The 22-foot-long, 900-pound creature, known as Prestosuchus chiniquensis, was discovered by a team of paleontologists from the Lutheran University of Brazil, the U.K. Daily Mail reported Thursday.

The remains uncovered in the town of Dona Francisca, 160 miles from Porto Alegre, Brazil, reportedly show the most complete fossil of a pre-dinosaur predator ever found.

The menacing creature, which belonged to a family of reptiles called theconts, had a deep skull with serrated teeth and a long tail, according to the website.

The predator was a relation of the crocodile and lived some 238 million years ago during the Triassic Period.

Click here to read more on this story from the U.K. Daily Mail.