Broomisaurus

Broom-e-sour-us.
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Harper Gray

Paleoartist

Harper Grey combines artistic talent with scientific precision to bring extinct creatures and environments back to life. Collaborating closely with paleontologists

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Name

Broomisaurus ‭(‬Brooms‭’ ‬lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Broom-e-sour-us.

Named By

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Gorgonopsidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

B.‭ ‬planiceps‭

Size

Uncertain.

Known locations

South Africa.

Time Period

Mid Permian.

Fossil representation

Partial fragmentary remains.

In Depth

       Broomisaurus was originally named as Scymnorhinus planiceps by Robert Broom in‭ ‬1913,‭ ‬however the genus name Scymnorhinus had already been established,‭ ‬so the name Broomisaurus was given to this gorgonopsid by Joleaud in‭ ‬1920.‭ ‬Because Broomisaurus is only known from fragmentary remains the genus has often been listed as a Nomen‭ ‬dubium because it would be incredibly difficult to identify and assign further fossils to them.‭ ‬There is also speculation that Broomisaurus may be synonymous with the genus Eriphostoma,‭ ‬though again,‭ ‬the poor state of preservation in known Broomisaurus makes even this difficult to be absolutely certain about.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New information on the morphology and stratigraphic range of the mid-Permian gorgonopsian Eriphostoma microdon Broom,‭ ‬1911.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Papers in Palaeontology.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Christian F.‭ ‬Kammerer,‭ ‬Roger M.‭ ‬H.‭ ‬Smith,‭ ‬Michael O.‭ ‬Day‭ & ‬Bruce S.‭ ‬Rubidge‭ ‬-‭ ‬2015.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT