Luangwa (cynodont)
Encyclopedia
Luangwa is a genus
of traversodontid
cynodont
s. The species Luangwa drysdalli was discovered 1963 in the valley of the Luangwa
river in Zambia
, Africa
. Luangwa lived in the Triassic
period 240 Million years ago.
In July 2008 a skull of Luangwa sudamericana was found in the Brazil
ian town of Dona Francisca
(Rio Grande do Sul
), which is part of the Geopark
Paleorrota
. The discovery was made by the team of the ULBRA
.
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 traversodontid
Traversodontidae
Traversodontidae is a family of herbivorous cynodonts. Traversodonts were primarily Gondwanan, with many species known from Africa and South America. Recently, traversodonts have also been found from Europe and eastern North America. Traversodonts first appeared in the Middle Triassic, diversified...
cynodont
Cynodont
Cynodontia or cynodonts are a taxon of therapsids which first appeared in the Late Permian and were eventually distributed throughout all seven continents by the Early Triassic . This clade includes modern mammals and their extinct close relatives. They were one of the most diverse groups of...
s. The species Luangwa drysdalli was discovered 1963 in the valley of the Luangwa
Luangwa
Luangwa may refer to:*Luangwa River, the major river of eastern Zambia;*the Luangwa Bridge, which crosses the Luangwa River*the Luangwa Valley, a rift valley branch of the Great Rift Valley, named after the Luangwa River flowing in it;...
river in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Luangwa lived in the Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
period 240 Million years ago.
In July 2008 a skull of Luangwa sudamericana was found in the 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...
ian town of Dona Francisca
Dona Francisca
-See also:*List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul...
(Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
), which is part of the 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:...
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....
. The discovery was made by the team of the ULBRA
Universidade Luterana do Brasil
The Universidade Luterana do Brasil is a university located in the city of Canoas, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil...
.