An unusually robust specimen attributed to Buriolestes schultzi (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil.

Buriolestes schultzi is a small sauropodomorph dinosaur from Carnian beds (ca., 233 Ma) of southern Brazil. It is one of the earliest members of that lineage and is a key taxon to investigate the initial evolution of Sauropodomorpha.

On a skeletally immature individual of Unaysaurus tolentinoi (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) from the upper Triassic of southern Brazil.

The lineage of sauropodomorph dinosaurs raised some of the most impressive animals that ever walked on Earth. However, the massive titans of the Mesozoic Era originated from far smaller dinosaurs. The Triassic beds from Brazil yielded the earliest part of this evolutionary history.

The elongated neck of sauropodomorph dinosaurs evolved gradually.

Discoveries from South America have increased our knowledge on the early evolutionary history of sauropodomorph dinosaurs. The dietary shift from faunivorous to herbivorous creatures and the increasing body size are both widely documented in the fossil record. Conversely, the initial evolution of the elongated neck is poorly known.