A giant reptile from 237 million years ago discovered in La Rioja

Scientists from CONICET revealed the discovery of a new species of giant reptile that inhabited the territory of La Rioja 237 million years ago This creature is Shakajlura riojanensis, an animal notable for its imposing size and its role as one of the main predators of its time

The name of this creature means “blessed lizard of La Rioja” and belongs to the group of Paracrocodylomorpha, distant relatives of modern crocodiles According to estimates, it reached about six meters in length, with a skull measuring around 60 centimeters

The discovery took place in the Talampaya National Park, specifically in the Chañares Formation, during paleontological campaigns conducted in 2017 and 2018 The results were only published now, in 2026, in the prestigious scientific journal Papers in Palaeontology

The first author of the study, Ariel Cardillo, a doctoral fellow at CONICET in CRILAR, explained the importance of the Triassic period This moment represents a key chapter after the great Permian extinction, when life on Earth was recovering

Relevance for the origin of crocodiles

Cardillo detailed that these reptiles provide valuable data on what faunas were like after that massive catastrophe “Paracrocodylomorpha are important for several reasons On one hand, they tell us about the origin of crocodiles, the only representatives of the lineage that have survived to the present,” he noted

Additionally, these fossils help to understand the animal communities that emerged in the Mesozoic Era, before dinosaurs became dominant Shakajlura riojanensis adds to a fossil record that is quite scarce for this group, making each new specimen of enormous scientific value

Researchers from CONICET, CRILAR, the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences, and other Argentine institutions participated in the work They emphasize that the findings in Talampaya not only expand knowledge about evolution but also position the province as a world reference site for paleontological studies

In this context, the Riojan site consolidates as one of the most relevant on the planet for understanding the transition between different geological eras The giant reptile lived in a world where dinosaurs did not yet reign, making the discovery even more significant for reconstructing that ancient history

Experts highlight that species like this are considered “hard-to-find” due to the rarity of their fossil remains Therefore, Shakajlura riojanensis provides fundamental pieces to assemble the evolutionary puzzle of archosaurs and their descendants

This type of advancement reaffirms the commitment of Argentine science to exploring its rich paleontological heritage

The province of La Rioja continues to gain international recognition thanks to these findings that illuminate a remote past and help to better understand the diversity of life on Earth millions of years ago

With this new reptile, Talampaya strengthens its position as a true treasure for global paleontology