In Depth Varanodon was a genus of pelycosaur that lived in the USA during the Permian period. Varanodon should not be confused with the similarly named Varanops and Varanosaurus, two other genera of closely related pelycosaurs. Further Reading - New Permian vertebrates from the Chickasha Formation in Oklahoma. Circular Oklahoma Geological Survey 70:1-70. - E. … Read more
In Depth Easily one of the more common pelycosaurs in Europe, Haptodus was also one of the earliest with the first species appearing in the late Carboniferous period. Earlier species that appeared in the Carboniferous such as H. garnettensis were smaller at about seventy centimetres in length and were probably insectivores. By the early Permian … Read more
In Depth Secodontosaurus is a fantastic genus of pelycosaur as not only do individuals have large sails on their backs, but they have skulls that are quite different to the other sphenacodontid pelycosaurs that they are related to. The naming of the Secodonotsaurus genus was actually a long time coming. The first Secodontosaurus fossils were … Read more
In Depth A heavily built pelycosaur similar to Cotylorhynchus, Angelosaurus also shared its habitat with Caseopsis and Caseoides, all caseidids typified by the type genus of the group, Casea. These were a distinctive group of pelycosaurs that don’t seem to have been that specially adapted beyond being quadrupedal and having large round bodies that are … Read more
In Depth Palaeohatteria is a genus of sphenacodont pelycosaur that lived in Germany during the early Permian. So far however Palaeohatteria is only known by immature individuals. At times Palaeohatteria has been considered to be synonymous with the genus Haptodus, however some researchers continue to list Palaeohatteria as a distinct genus. Further Reading - Die … Read more
In Depth Ianthodon is a genus of pelycosaur that lived in North America during the Carboniferous. Care should be taken not to confuse Ianthodon with the similarly named Ianthasaurus. Further Reading - Synapsid fauna of the Upper Pennsylvanian Rock Lake Shale near Garnett, Kansas and the diversity pattern of early amniotes. Recent Advances in the … Read more
In Depth Not much is known about Oedaleops other than it was similar to Eothyris, another synapsid that is only known from its skull. Oedaleops has slightly larger canine teeth that are thought to have been of use in capturing small prey like insects. Further Reading – Oedaleops campi (Reptilia: Pelycosauria) New Genus and Species … Read more
In Depth Varanosaurus is a genus of pelycosaur that live in the southern USA during the Permian. Care should be taken not to confuse Varanosaurus with two very similar pelycosaurs named Varanops and Varanodon. Further Reading - Permische Stegocephalen und Reptilien aus Texas. - Palaeontographica 51:1-120 - F. broili - 1904.