In Depth Keratocephalus is a genus of tapinocephalid dinocephalian therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. The most noteworthy thing about Keratocephalus is that known specimens show a range of variation to the point where there is speculation that the different skulls may be a sign of difference between males and females, or … Read more
In Depth Bullacephalus is a genus of biarmosuchian therapsid, and at the time of the genus description is the earliest known appearance of a burnetiid. Bullacephalus is named from a boss-like projection of bone on the skull. Further Reading - A new burnetiamorph (Therapsida: Biarmosuchia) from the lower Beaufort Group of South Africa. - B. … Read more
In Depth Though only known from the forward half of a skull, Raranimus was still a very exciting discovery, as not only is Raranimus one of it not the oldest therapsids known, it appears to be a transitional form that links therapsids with earlier sphenacodont pelycosaurs (i.e. Sphenacodon, Dimetrodon, Secodontosaurus, etc). At the time of … Read more
In Depth Gorynychus is a genus of therocephalian therapsid that lived in Russia during the Permian. At the time of writing Gorynychus is known from two species, the type (first to be named) species G. masyutinae, and the second species, G. sundyrensis, which seems to have been slightly larger. Further Reading - A new therocephalian … Read more
In Depth Protheriodon is a genus of cynodont that lived in South America during the Triassic and so far is known only from a partial skull. Further Reading - A new non-mammalian cynodont from the Middle Triassic of southern Brazil and its implications for the ancestry of mammals. - The Triassic-Jurassic Terrestrial Transition, New Mexico … Read more
In Depth Brasilitherium is a genus of small insectivorous cynodont that lived in Brazil during the late Triassic. Brasilitherium was named alongside another similar cynodont called Brasilodon. Further Reading - The sister group of mammals: small cynodonts from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil. - Revista Brasileira de Paleontolog�a 5:5-27. - J. F. Bonaparte, A. … Read more
In Depth Whereas Cistecephalus was the ‘Permian mole’, Dicynodon appears to have been the ‘Permian Rabbit’, a title that Dicynodon earned by the large abundance of fossils. This abundance has led to a great many species being named for the genus but as often happens, particularly with extinct animals from the early days of palaeontology, … Read more
In Depth Known from only a partial skull, Galesuchus has in the past been considered to be a dubious genus of gorgonopsid. Further Reading - Phylogeny and evolution of the Gorgonopsia with a special reference to the skull and skeleton of GPIT / IR / 7113 (Aelurognathus parringtoni?). - Eberhard Karls University of T�bingen. - … Read more
In Depth Fossils of the dinocephalian genus Tapinocephalus are fairly common within the Lower Beaufort Beds, that the location where fossils of the genus are known is actually called the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone. Tapinocephalus seems to have been a successful genus of Tapinocephalus given the large number of remains, and superficially the genus resembles Moschops. … Read more
In Depth Patranomodon is one of the earliest known anomodonts, and is so primitive, it still had teeth. Later anomodonts such as dinocephalians would eventually lose all they teeth (except for some genera which retained a pair of large tusks) and develop horned beaks for cropping vegetation. Further Reading - A new anomodont therapsid from … Read more