Cynognathus

Fossilized skull of a Cynognathus crateronotus

• South Africa
• Argentina
• Antarctic

Cynognathus crateronotus ( "dog jaw " ) is a genus of extinct therapsids ( formerly known as " mammal -like reptiles ") is. The animals of this genus lived before 245-237 million years ago at the time of the Lower and Middle Triassic of Gondwana. The only described species of Cynognathus is Cynognathus crateronotus.

Features

Cynognathus was a large carnivore with a bulky body. With a skull length of 30 to 40 cm, it was one of the largest carnivores of the Triassic. The strong occipital region suggests a strong neck muscles. The snout was long and behind the large canine teeth, she was somewhat narrower. The molars were laterally flattened and coarsely toothed. Between the teeth of the upper and the lower jaw, there were no precise occlusion.

The dentary, in mammals, the only bone of the lower jaw was very greatly enlarged relative to the other sub jawbone original synapsids. The other jaw bone ( articular, Praearticulare, Surangulare and angular ) formed a rod-shaped element embedded in a groove at the inner side of the dental. The TMJ is formed by the quadrate and articular yet.

The synapside skull window was small. Its limiting bone compared to Thrinaxodon very strong, so that they formed a broad approach for powerful jaw muscles.

Finds

Fossils of Cynognathus were found in the Karoo, South Africa, Lesotho, Argentina, China and Antarctica.