WASHINGTON — Scientists have discovered the fossils of a saber- toothed vegetarian.
The leaf-crunching animal, about the size of a large dog, lived 260 million years ago in what is now Brazil, researchers reported in today’s edition of the journal Science.
Its upper canine teeth were nearly 5 inches long. Such large teeth are more often the mark of a meat-eating animal, used to capture and kill prey.
The enormous canines were likely used by the plant-eating animals to fight one another or protect against predators, said research leader Juan Carlos Cisneros of the University of Piaui in northeastern Brazil.
The newly discovered animal, named Tiarajudens eccentricus, had rows of teeth on the roof of its mouth for chewing, the researchers said.
Tiarajudens was part of a group of animals known as anomodonts, sometimes called “mammal-like reptiles” and a major plant-eater of their time.
The Associated Press
