In Depth Brachyprosopus is a genus of anomodont therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Further Reading -The skull structure of a new anomodont. - Journal of Geology 45(8):851-858. - E. C. Olson - 1937. – A reevaluation of Brachyprosopus broomiand Chelydontops altidentalis, dicynodonts (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from the middle Permian Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone … Read more
In Depth Riebeeckosaurus would have been just another run of the mill tapinocephalid dinocephalian therapsid were it not for the extreme elongation of the skull. Though possibly for display, the elongation of the skull may denote a feeding adaptation and dietary specialisation. Further Reading - Nuwe tapinocephalidae, Riebeeckosaurus longisrostris gen. et sp. nov. Tydskr. Wet. … Read more
In Depth Not to be confused with the ceratopsian dinosaur Styracosaurus, Styracocephalus was a theraspid herbivore from what is now South Africa. At four and a half meters long, it was only slightly smaller than the more famous Moschops, but still appears to have had a similar lifestyle browsing upon vegetation. The most recognisable feature … Read more
In Depth Niaftasuchus is a genus of biarmosuchian therapsid that lived in Russia during the mid/late Permian. At the time of writing Niaftasuchus is only known from a partial skull, but as a biarmosuchian, Niaftasuchus would be expected to have been a predator. Given the small size of the skull, Niaftasuchus would have probably been … Read more
In Depth Ulemosaurus is very much like the therapsid Moschops, not only in the type of creature that it was, but also in the fact that its skull was also up to ten centimetres thick. Its possible that like in the related Moschops, this bone thickness allowed for head butting or head pushing contests. Although … Read more
In Depth Kwazulusaurus is a genus of dicynodont that lived in South Africa during the late Permian. Kwazulusaurus seems to be transitional in form, as even though many of the features of the genus are quite primitive, Kwazulusaurus does have some similar features as the more advanced Lystrosaurus. Further Reading - A new basal lystrosaurid … Read more
In Depth Theriognathus represents a later group of therapsids that would survive into the Triassic. Although the name Theriognathus means mammal jaw, the lower jaw is actually made of several bones like in reptiles. Theriognathus was more suited to hunting smaller prey items in the undergrowth. Further Reading – On the genus Theriognathus Owen (including … Read more
In Depth Microgomphodon is one of the more common genera of therocephalian therapsids, and is also one of the last known to have survived. Further Reading - New Material of Microgomphodon oligocynus (Eutherapsida, Therocephalia) and the Taxonomy of Southern African Bauriidae”. Early Evolutionary History of the Synapsida. - Vertebrate Paleobiology and Paleoanthropology. - F. Abdala, … Read more
In Depth A close relative to the fearsome Anteosaurus from South Africa, Doliosauriscus would have been a key predator in Russia during the Permian. Further Reading - Les Dinocephales rapaces de la faune d’Ischeevo. - Trudy Paleontologischeskoso Instituta, Akademyia Nauk SSSR, v. 71, p. 1-114. - J. A. Orlov - 1958.
In Depth Trithelodon is a little known genus of cynodont. Further Reading Further reading- On a new type of cynodont from the Stormberg. – Annals of the South African Museum 7:334-336. – R. Broom – 1912.