Burnetia

Bur-net-e-ah.
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John Stewart

Paleoecologist

John Stewart is a distinguished paleoecologist whose work has significantly advanced our understanding of prehistoric ecosystems. With over two decades dedicated to unearthing fossils across Asia and Africa

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Name

Burnetia.

Phonetic

Bur-net-e-ah.

Named By

Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1923.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Biarmosuchia,‭ ‬Burnetiidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

B.‭ ‬mirabilis‭

Size

Skull about‭ ‬20‭ ‬centimetres long.

Known locations

South Africa,‭ ‬Eastern Cape‭ ‬-‭ ‬Balfour Formation.

Time Period

Changhsingian of the Permian.

Fossil representation

A partial skull that has been distorted by compression.

In Depth

       Burnetia is a genus of biarmosuchian therapsid that is still only known form a single skull that has been heavily compressed.‭ ‬The level of distortion in this skull makes it much more difficult to interpret specific features,‭ ‬though like with many of its relative genera,‭ ‬Burnetia appears to have had many boss-like projections upon its skull.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬On the structure of the skull in the carnivorous dinocephalian reptiles.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London‭ ‬2:661‭–‬684.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Robert Broom‭ ‬-‭ ‬1923. -‭ ‬On the cranial morphology of the basal therapsids Burnetia and Proburnetia‭ (‬Therapsida:‭ ‬Burnetiidae‭) ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬22‭ (‬2‭)‬:‭ ‬257‭–‬267‭ ‬-‭ ‬B.‭ ‬S.‭ ‬Rudbridge‭ & ‬C.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Sidor‭ ‬-‭ ‬2002.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT