Dinocephalia

Life image of Moschops capensis

  • Russia
  • South Africa

The Dinocephalia (Greek: " terrible heads " ) are a taxon of basal therapsids. This mostly herbivorous animals are presented to the classic reptiles, but had many features that are now only found in mammals. Their heyday falls into the Guadalupium, the middle series of the Permian, about 270-260 million years ago. With the mass extinction at the Permian - Triassic boundary about 251 million years ago ended this line.

Features

The Dinocephalia characterized by a stocky build and massive skulls that have given them the name.

One of the best known representatives of this group is about five feet long herbivore Moschops (Greek: " ox- face" ) from the Permian of South Africa. Another Dinocephalier, Anteosaurus, was carnivorous. Due to his physique he probably was not particularly nimble, and one suspects that he has hunted rather cumbersome prey as its herbivorous relatives and overwhelmed by brute force.

Some Dinocephalier had conspicuous excesses of the skull, like that probably herbivorous Estemmenosuchus, who was discovered in Russia. From this one also has skin impressions found that allow the conclusion that Dinocephalier were not typical reptiles with scaly skin, but with its smooth, perhaps glandular (possibly hairy ) skin represent a transitional form between reptiles and mammals. From their ancestors, the Pelycosauriern, they differed significantly: Your heat saving Body and texture of their skin lay speculation about a possible constant body temperature close.

System

  • Dinocephalia? Rhopalodon
  • Phreatosuchus
  • Estemmenosuchus
  • Stenocybus
  • Anteosauria Brithopodidae / Anteosauridae Brithopus
  • Syodontidae Syodon
  • Australosyodon
  • Archaeosyodon
Mya (unit) Fossil Endotherm Deuterosaurus Titanophoneus
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