In Depth Agilodocodon is a genus of small mammaliforme that lived in what is now China during the Mid Jurassic. Agilodocodon is thought to have been an arboreal animal, and as such spent most of its life living in the tree canopy. Here Agilodocodon is thought to have fed mostly upon tree sap, safe and … Read more
In Depth Scalopodontes is a genus of therapsid that lived in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading - New material on Scaloposaurians (Reptilia, Theriodontia) from the Upper Permian of the Kotelnich Locality, Kirov Region. - Paleontological Journal 34 (supplement 2). - L. P. Tatarinov - 2000.
In Depth Cryptocynodon is a genus of dicynodont that lived in the Late Permian. Further Reading - New specimens of the tanzanian dicynodont ‘Cryptocynodon’ parringtoni Von Huene, 1942 (Therapsida, Anomodontia), with an expanded analysis of Permian dicynodont phylogeny. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology vol 27, issue 1 - Kenneth D. Angielczyk - 2007.
In Depth Impidens is a genus of cynodont that lived during the Mid Triassic. Further reading - A new large gomphodont from the Triassic of South Africa and its implications for Gondwanan biostratigraphy. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - Frederick Tolchard, Christian F. Kammerer, Richard J. Butler, Christophe Hendrickx, Julien Benoit, Fernando Abdala & Jonah … Read more
In Depth Elliotherium is a genus of cynodont that lived in South Africa during the late Triassic. Elliotherium is named after the Elliot formation where the holotype fossil was recovered from and combined with the word ‘therium’ which translates to English as ‘beast’. Further Reading - Elliotherium kersteni, a new tritheledontid from the lower Elliot … Read more
In Depth Australobarbarus is a genus of dicynodont therapsid that lived in Russia during the Late Permian. Further Reading - New dicynodonts from the Upper Permian of the Vyatka Basin. - Paleontological Journal 34(2):S203-S210. - A. A. Kurkin - 2000.
In Depth Struthiocephalus is known from a fairly large number of individuals that represent various life stages and sexes, though originally these were broken up into distinct genera on the mistaken idea that the different growth stages and sexual dimorphism between specimens represented traits of different genera. What can be said about Struthiocephalus now is … 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.
In Depth The holotype fossils of Rhachiocephalus were originally described as a species of Oudenodon, O. magnus, in 1876 by Richard Owen. It was later in 1898 that these fossils were re-described by Harry Govier Seeley as a new genus, Rhachiocephalus. Fossils of Rhachiocephalus are currently known from both South Africa and Tanzania. One Tanzanian … Read more
In Depth Cynognathus seems to be one of the most successful of the cynodonts, with a large number of fossil remains from a wide geographic distribution being all attributed to the genus. There is however some controversy over whether all of these fossils should be labelled as Cynognathus, as the genus does seem to have … Read more