Bernissartia ('of Bernissart') is an extinct genus of neosuchian crocodyliform that
lived in the Early Cretaceous, around 130 million years ago.
At only 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) in length, Bernissartia is one of the smallest
crocodyliforms that ever lived. It resembled modern species in many respects,
and was probably semi-aquatic. It had long, pointed teeth at the front of the jaws
that would have been of use in catching fish, but broad and flat teeth at the back of
its jaws that were suited for crushing hard food, such as shellfish, and possibly bones.
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The word "Brazil" likely comes from the Portuguese word for brazilwood, a tree that once grew
plentifully along the Brazilian coast. In Portuguese, brazilwood is called pau-brasil,
with the word brasil commonly given the etymology "red like an ember", formed from
brasa ("ember") and the suffix -il (from -iculum or -ilium). It has alternatively been
suggested that this is a folk etymology for a word for the plant related to an Arabic or
Asian word for a red plant.[34] As brazilwood produces a deep red dye, it was highly valued
by the European textile industry and was the earliest commercially exploited product from Brazil.
Throughout the 16th century, massive amounts of brazilwood were harvested by indigenous
peoples (mostly Tupi) along the Brazilian coast, who sold the timber to European traders (mostly Portuguese,
but also French) in return for assorted European consumer goods.
The official Portuguese name of the land, in original Portuguese records, was the
"Land of the Holy Cross" (Terra da Santa Cruz), but European sailors and merchants commonly called it
the "Land of Brazil" (Terra do Brasil) because of the brazilwood trade. The popular appellation
eclipsed and eventually supplanted the official Portuguese name. Some early sailors called it
the "Land of Parrots".
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