A fossil discovered in the 1980s in south-central India may reveal a new chapter in dinosaur history. The fossil is of Maleriraptor kuttyi, a small predator that lived about 220 million years ago during the Norian stage of the Triassic period.
Its remains were found within the Upper Maleri Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Basin, near Annaram village. Researchers detailed that the species lived during the Norian age, a period marked by ecological changes. It reached a height of one meter and a length of two meters.
The animal is classified as a member of Herrerasauria, one of the earliest known predatory dinosaurs. It is believed to have become extinct at the end of the Triassic period. Fossils of this species were first discovered in South America, with later finds in North America and India, suggesting a wider distribution than initially thought.