Oligokyphus

Name: Oligokyphus ‭(‬Small curved animal‭)‬.
Phonetic: Ol-e-go-ky-fus.
Named By: E.‭ ‬Henning‭ ‬-‭ ‬1922.
Synonyms: Chalepotherium plieningeri,‭ ‬Mucrotherium,‭ ‬Uniserium.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Synapsida,‭ ‬Therapsida,‭ ‬Cynodontia,‭ ‬Tritylodontidae.
Species: O.‭ ‬triserialis‭ (‬type‭)‬,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬biserialis,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬lufengensis,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬major,‭ ‬O.‭ ‬minor.
Diet: Carnivore/Insectivore.
Size: About‭ ‬30‭ ‬centimetres long.
Known locations: China‭ ‬-‭ ‬Lufeng Formation.‭ ‬Germany‭ ‬-‭ ‬Exter Formation.‭ ‬United Kingdom‭ (‬England and Wales‭)‬.‭ ‬USA,‭ ‬Arizona‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kayenta Formation.
Time period: Hettangian to Pleinsbachian of the Jurassic.
Fossil representation: ‭Partial remains.

       Occasionally interpreted as a very primitive mammal,‭ ‬Oligokyphus is today usually seen as a very late surviving cynodont,‭ ‬as well as one of the last of the non-mammalian therapsids.‭ ‬Still,‭ ‬Oligokyphus has been stated as being akin to a modern day weasel in terms of ecological niche,‭ ‬hunting for small animals on the ground,‭ ‬though it is‭ ‬also plausible that Oligokyphus may have also been a climber.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Die S�ugerz�hne des w�rttembergischen Rh�t-Lias-Bonebeds.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Neues Jahrbuch f�r Mineralogie,‭ ‬Geologie und Pal�ontologie‭ ‬46:181-267.‭ ‬-‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Henning‭ ‬-‭ ‬1922.
-‭ ‬The Liassic therapsid Oligokyphus.‭ ‬-‭ ‬British Museum‭ (‬Natural History‭)‬,‭ ‬London‭ ‬1-149.‭ ‬-‭ ‬W.‭ ‬K�hne‭ ‬-‭ ‬1956.
-‭ ‬Oligokyphus‭ (‬Cynodontia:‭ ‬Tritylodontidae‭) ‬from the Lower Lufeng Formation‭ (‬Lower Jurassic‭) ‬of Yunnan,‭ ‬China.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬13‭(‬4‭)‬:477-482.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Z.‭ ‬Luo‭ & ‬A.‭ ‬Sun‭ ‬-‭ ‬1993.

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