Proto-dinosaur found in Brazil

Scientists in Brazil say they may have found the world's oldest-known dinosaur fossil in a southern province, Rio Grande de Sul, which is rich in prehistoric remains.

The traces of skulls, teeth and bones suggest the creature was a carnivore, about 2m long with a pointed head.

The scientists say it lived some 240 million years ago at a crucial time in the evolution of dinosaurs when they were developing from older and slower four-legged reptiles, known as thecodonts.

The new creature appears to have characteristics of both.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service