Beschreibung:

Stereosternum tumidum Middle Permian Irati Formation, Sao Paulo State, Brazil A small, early reptile, Stereosternum specimens found in both South Africa and South America reinforce Wegener’s theory of continental drift, which states that parts of the Earth’s crust slowly drift on the surface of a liquid core. From the Mesosauridae family, this was a carnivorous primitive reptile (not a dinosaur) and one of the first aquatic reptiles. A lightly-built, four-legged animal with an elongated head, its flattened tail probably aided in underwater locomotion. The present specimen, with no restoration, exhibits a well preserved body with three legs visible. Matrix measures 15 x 6 ¼ x 1 ½; Specimen measures 11 1/2in