Bharitalasuchus tapani-a carnivorous reptile
GS PAPER III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Context: Bharitalasuchus tapani a carnivorous reptile that lived 240 million years ago.
- They were approximately the size of an adult male lion and might have been the largest predators in their ecosystems.
Recent discovery:
- The Indian fossil specimen was not studied earlier because it was not as complete as the specimens found in other countries.
- In the mid 20th century, researchers from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, carried out extensive studies on rocks of the Yerrapalli Formation in what is now Telangana, uncovering several fossils.
- By studying some of these specimens stored at the Institute, an international team has now thrown light on a carnivorous reptile that lived 240 million years ago.
Bharitalasuchus tapani
- This reptile belongs to a genus and species previously unknown to science. They named it Bharitalasuchus tapani.
- In the Telugu language, Bhari means huge, Tala means head, and Suchus is the name of the Egyptian crocodile-headed deity.
- The species is named after paleontologist Tapan Roy Chowdhury in honour of his contribution to Indian vertebrate paleontology and especially his extensive work on the Yerrapalli Formation tetrapod fauna.
- Further studies revealed that the reptile belonged to a family of extinct reptiles named Erythrosuchidae.
- Bharitalasuchus tapani were robust animals with big heads and large teeth, and these probably predated other smaller reptiles.
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