In Depth Ictidosuchoides is a genus of therocephalian therapsid that is known to have lived at the time of the great Permian extinction. Ictidosuchoides is known to have survived this event, however the genus seems to have disappeared not long after, suggesting that while Ictidosuchoides survived the main extinction, the event still took its toll … Read more
In Depth Euchambersia would have been an unassuming little therocephalian therapsid were it not for one thing; it was possibly venomous. There are small recesses in the jaw behind each canine tooth, possibly to house venom glands. The canine teeth also have grooves running down their length in a similar way to what we can … 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 Simorhinella is a genus of therocephalian therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Simorhinella is noteworthy for having a snout that by proportion to relative genera is considerably shorter and deeper. This may have allowed Simorhinella to have a very strong bite force as the deeper snout would have been able … Read more
In Depth Trochosaurus is a genus of trochosuchian therocephalian therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Further Reading Further reading- A revision of the reptiles of the Karroo. – Annals of the South African Museum 7(6):361-366. – R. Broom – 1913.
In Depth Scylacosaurus is a genus of therapsid that lived in South Africa. Further Reading - On the structure of the palate in the primitive theriodonts. - Geological Magazine 10 (8): 343–345. - Robert Broom - 1903.
In Depth Dubbed ‘scarface’ in the popular media when first described, Ichibengops is a possibly second genus of venomous therocephalian therapsid that lived in Africa during the Late Permian. This is because Ichibengops has similar grooved teeth with potential placement of venom glands as another genus of therocephalian therapsid called Euchambersia, also speculated to have … Read more
In Depth Trochosuchus is a little known genus of therapsid that lived in South Africa during the Permian. Care should be taken not to confuse Trochosuchus with Trochosaurus, the type genus of the therapsid group which Trochosuchus belongs too. Further Reading – Catalogue of types and figured specimens of fossil vertebrates in the American Museum … Read more
In Depth Bienotherium is a genus of cynodont that lived in China during the early Jurassic. Further Reading - Preliminary notes on the Mesozoic mammals of Lufeng, Yunnan, China. - Bulletin of the Geological Survey of China 20:93-111. - C. C. Young - 1940.