In Depth
Parahenodus is a genus of placodont that lived in European waters during the late Triassic. The placodonts were marine reptiles that hunted for shellfish. The holotype skull of Parahenodus is very similar to the Henodus genus, hence the name Parahenodus which means ‘near Henodus’. Like Henodus, Parahenodus would be expected to have had an armoured shell protecting its body, though the form of this shell is unknown at the time of writing.
Further Reading
- A new placodont from the Upper Triassic of Spain provides new insights on the acquisition of the specialized skull of Henodontidae. - Papers in Palaeontology 4(4):567-576. - C. Miguel Chaves, F. Ortega & A. Perez-Garcia - 2018.