Spondylosoma is a type of ancient reptile that lived during the Middle Triassic period in what is now Brazil. The name Spondylosoma means “vertebra body.”
This creature is classified as part of the Archosaur group, which also includes dinosaurs and crocodiles. Spondylosoma is believed to belong to a smaller group within Archosauria called Aphanosauria.
History tells us that a scientist named Friedrich von Huene first studied Spondylosoma in 1942. He based it on some bones that were found, including teeth and parts of the spine and limbs. At first, he thought it might be a type of early dinosaur, specifically a prosauropod.
As time went on, scientists discovered a dinosaur called Staurikosaurus, which made them think about how Spondylosoma might fit in. There was a lot of debate about whether Spondylosoma should be considered an early dinosaur or something else entirely.
In 2000, Peter Galton suggested that it didn’t have the features of dinosaurs and might be more like a rauisuchian, which is another type of ancient reptile. However, in 2004, Max Langer argued that Spondylosoma could indeed be an early dinosaur, but he wasn’t sure.
Later researchers found that Spondylosoma shared some features with other reptiles from the same time period, leading them to organize it into a new group called Aphanosauria. This group is closely related to another group known as Ornithodira.
In summary, Spondylosoma is an important piece of the puzzle in understanding the family tree of reptiles from the Triassic period. It shows us how different ancient reptiles are connected and how they evolved over time.