Crassigyrinus
Crassigyrinus scoticus
- Scotland
Crassigyrinus scoticus was an early land vertebrates ( Tetrapoda ) from the Carboniferous (late Mississippian and early Pennsylvanian ) of Scotland. From him a complete down to the tail skeleton, two skulls and several isolated mandible were found.
Features
Crassigyrinus reached a total length of about 120 cm, of which made the large skull of 30 cm. He was very large for early land vertebrates. It is characterized by its proportionally very short front legs. This suggests that he mainly stayed in the water and could only move awkward on land. The hind feet were probably adequately trained to serve for locomotion in water. From his strong pronounced pines, the construction of his teeth and his body size leads to the conclusion that he was a Spitzenprädator. The strikingly large orbit can be relatively large eyes close, perhaps an adaptation to hunting in the dark or in murky or deep water. Parts of the vertebrae ( pleurocentra ), coracoid, scapula, pubic bone, carpal bones and tarsal bones are fossil undetectable and were therefore probably formed from cartilage. The skull of Crassigyrinus is well known. The clear delineation of the skullcap of the cheeks is similar to the skull structure of Anthracosaurier. Also on the membrane bones at the rear part of the skull roof parallels to the Fleischflossern Eusthenopteron and Panderichthys are recognizable.
System
Crassigyrinus is the only member of the family Crassigyrinidae which is an isolated side branch of the early land vertebrates. The anatomical features of Crassigyrinus are a mosaic form of features formerly terrestrial vertebrates and unique autapomorphies of Crassiygyrinidae dar. He is now mostly seen as primitive country vertebrate that has its position directly behind the first Devonian tetrapods such as Acanthostega, Ichthyostega, Hynerpeton and Tulerpeton.