Berthasaura
"Bertha's lizard"
- Lived
- Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Noasauridae
- Found in
- Brazil
- Named by
- de Souza et al. 2021
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
Habitat
A desert of windblown sand dunes in what is now Brazil. Its neighbors included Vespersaurus and flying reptiles.
Field notes
About Berthasaura
What it was like
Berthasaura was a small theropod with a toothless beak. That is unusual for its group, and it suggests the animal may have eaten plants or a mixed diet. It is known from a nearly complete skeleton, probably of a young animal.
Its world
It lived in the Cretaceous in what is now Brazil. Its bones come from the Goio-Erê Formation, a desert of sand dunes where it lived alongside the small predator Vespersaurus.
How it was found
De Souza and colleagues named Berthasaura in 2021. The name honors a Brazilian scientist and campaigner for women's rights.
Field gallery
More views of Berthasaura
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
The evidence
The science behind Berthasaura
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A nearly complete skeleton preserves parts of the skull, backbone, arms and legs.
- The toothless snout has a thin cutting edge and a slightly downturned tip.
- A separate lower jaw has traces of tooth sockets, suggesting teeth were lost as the animal grew.
Borrowed from relatives
- Most of its skeleton is known from its own bones; missing skull parts can be compared with Limusaurus and other noasaurids.
Still unknown
- Its skin covering and color.
- Exactly what it ate.
- What a hatchling looked like.
Discovery timeline
- 2021Named itde Souza et al.
- 2025New findPierossi et al.
- 2025Growing upde Souza et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Berthasaura
Named it
Described a nearly complete young skeleton with toothless jaws and a cutting snout edge, suggesting a plant-based or mixed diet.
The first edentulous ceratosaur from South America. Scientific Reports 11
Read the paper : The first edentulous ceratosaur from South America (opens in a new tab)New find
Described a lower jaw with traces of tooth sockets, suggesting tooth loss during growth and a feeding shape resembling other toothless theropods.
Convergent evolution among non‐carnivorous, desert‐dwelling theropods as revealed by the dentary of the noasaurid Berthasaura leopoldinae (Cretaceous of Brazil). Palaeontology 68
Read the paper : Convergent evolution among non‐carnivorous, desert‐dwelling theropods as revealed by the dentary of the noasaurid Berthasaura leopoldinae (Cretaceous of Brazil) (opens in a new tab)Growing up
Examined microscopic structure in leg bones and found periodic growth in an animal that had not reached maturity.
Growth dynamics, skeletochronology, and histovariability of the theropod dinosaur Berthasaura leopoldinae. The Anatomical Record 309: 3169-3186
Read the paper : Growth dynamics, skeletochronology, and histovariability of the theropod dinosaur Berthasaura leopoldinae (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Noasauridae
Sources: Wikidata