Anomodont

Venyukovia

• Worldwide

The Anomodontia are the largest group of therapsids ( "early mammal relatives" ). They were distributed worldwide by Mittelperm ( Guadalupium ) to the Lower Jurassic. 2003, a skull fragment from Australia has been described which is from the Cretaceous and should belong to a Anomodonten from the group of Dicynodontia. Anomodonten were also found on the Antarctic continent. So far, more than 40 genera have been described, but by new discoveries, especially in Russia and China is expected to further new species.

Features

The Anomodontia were mostly large, herbivorous animals. The largest representatives reached the size of a hippo. Its features include a shortening of the snout region of the skull, a large parietal bone, a reduced lateral wings of the wing bone, a deep-seated mandibular joint, the reduction of the teeth of the upper jaw from front to back, and a mostly toothless lower jaw. Before the sacrum they usually had 26 vertebrae, the sacrum itself consisted of four to six vertebrae.

The Dicynodontia eventually lost, but two large tusks in the upper jaw, the most part, some forms also the entire dentition, and developed instead a horned beak, similar to the turtles.

System

Most Anomodontia represent the Dicynodontia. In addition, among them some primitive taxa from Russia, as well as the only proven by four fossils Dromasauroidea from South Africa.

• Anomodontia Anomocephalus
• Aulacocephalodon
• Australobarbarus
• Cistecephalus
• Patranomodon
• Venyukovioidea Venjukovia
• Otsheria
• Suminia
• Ulemica

• Galechirus
• Galeops
• Galepus