(Note: I am not a professional paleontologist or even biologist. I am just and amateur paleoartist and enthusiast. If my infos are off in some way, feel free to correct them ^^)
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DINOCEMBER
16 - Oxalaia quilombensis (referencing the african deity Oxalá and the Brazilian quilombo settlements) - Late Cretaceous (100-93 Ma BCE) - Alcântara Formation, Maranhão, Brazil The largest non-avian theropod found in Brazil, Oxalaia is a large spinosauridae that lived in a region of tropical forests cut by rivers and lagoons, dominated by conifers, horsetails and ferns, surrounded by a vast semi-arid region, almost like an oasis in the middle of a merciless desert, where this animal reigned over the others, like a true river dragon in the middle of Cajual Island, where it had been discovered. Formally named in 2011, this theropod was described by Alexander Kellner, Elaine Machado, Sergio Azevedo, Deise Henriques, and Luciana Carvalho, based on the fossil of the tip of its snout, unique enough to be a new species, estimated to be between 12 and 14 meters long and weighing up to 7 tons. The similarities between Oxalaia and its most famous relative, the Spinosaurus, found in Egypt and Morocco, go beyond its large dimensions and ecological niche, both being considered by some paleontologists as members of the same genus. With such a thought, and even considering Oxalaia as a very close relative and distinct from its African counterpart, the new discoveries related to Spinosaurus could be applied to the Brazilian dinosaur, such as the various adaptations for a semi-aquatic life, as shorter posterior members, nostrils on top of the head, conical teeth for catching slippery prey and, more recently discovered, long neural spines on its tail, similar to that of a newt, which would assist in underwater locomotion. In addition, much of the paleofauna present in the Alcântara Formation is very similar to the Kem Kem and Bahariya formations in North Africa, such as truly gigantic fish, sauropods, pterosaurs, noasauridae and crocodylomorphs, in addition to the famous theropod Carcharodontosaurus, present as a "adversary" of both Oxalaia and Spinosaurus on both continents.
- Color based on three different animals: Cuvier’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), Cryptic Golden Tegu (Tupinambis cryptus) and Paraguayan Caiman Lizard (Dracaena paraguayensis).
