The fossil collection includes over 7,200 cataloged lots distributed in vertebrates (ca. 4,800), invertebrates (ca.1,300) and plants (ca.1,000). Although the collection includes fossils from different regions of Brazil (Acre, Pará, Ceará, Maranhão, Tocantins, São Paulo, Paraná e Santa Catarina), about 80% are materials collected within the Rio Grande do Sul State, as the Triassic flora and fauna and the Pleistocene mammal megafauna. The vertebrates from the Santa Maria Formation, which is restricted to Rio Grande do Sul, form the most representative assemblage for its diversity, quantity and quality of preservation. These tetrapods, mostly reptiles and amphibians, were abundant faunal elements during the Triassic, making them essential for the understanding of the biodiversity and evolution of the South American fauna. Also the fossil fishes, coming from Rio do Sul (Santa Catarina), Tremembé (São Paulo) and Santana (nordeste) formations, make up much of the collection. The collection includes 79 type materials: 15 holotypes and 64 paratypes.

Conditions for using the data

The information on database of Fossil Collection of the Museum of Science and Technology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (MCT-PUCRS) should be used strictly for educational, scientific and environmental management, and assigned to the MCT-PUCRS, along with the citation of the collection and their respective acronym (MCP). The MCT-PUCRS aims to maintain and provide the databases of their collections with maximal accuracy, however, gives no warranty regarding the reliability, completeness and updating of the information contained on these bases. The user must check the data before using them for any purpose mentioned above.

How to cite

Coleção de Fósseis do Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia da PUCRS, MCP

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