Elliotsmithia

El-le-ot-smif-e-ah.
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Claire Morris

Marine Paleontologist

Claire Morris has dedicated her career to exploring the depths of prehistoric oceans. Her fascination with ancient marine life has led her to discover significant fossils that illuminate the evolution of early sea creatures.

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Name

Elliotsmithia.

Phonetic

El-le-ot-smif-e-ah.

Named By

Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1937.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Eupelycosauria,‭ ‬Varanopidae, Varanodontinae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬longiceps‭

Size

Unavailable.

Known locations

South Africa‭ ‬-‭ ‬Abrahamskraal Formation.

Time Period

Capitanian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

In Depth

       Elliotsmithia is a little known genus of pelycosaur that was initially described from the study of a partial skull.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A further contribution to our knowledge of the fossil reptiles of the Karroo.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London‭ ‬107‭(‬3‭)‬:299-318.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1937. -‭ ‬Anatomy and relationships of Elliotsmithia longiceps Broom,‭ ‬a small synapsid‭ (‬Eupelycosauria:‭ ‬Varanopseidae‭) ‬from the Late Permian of South Africa.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬18‭ (‬3‭)‬:‭ ‬602‭–‬611.‭ ‬-‭ ‬R.‭ ‬R.‭ ‬Reisz,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Dilkes‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Berman‭ ‬-‭ ‬1998. – Anatomy and relationships of Elliotsmithia longiceps Broom, a small synapsid (Eupelycosauria: Varanopseidae) from the Late Permian of South Africa. – Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 18 (3): 602–611. – R. R. Reisz, D. W. Dilkes & D. S. Berman – 2010.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT