Suminia

Suminia getmanovi

• Russia

Suminia was a Therapside (formerly mammal -like reptiles called ) who lived 260 million years ago in the Late Permian. Fossils of the animal, including a plate with the remains of 15 specimens were found in the Kirov Oblast near the Vyatka River in Russia. Only species described is Suminia getmanovi.

Features

Suminia was about half a meter long, it took the head and trunk 30 cm, the tail 20 cm one. The postcranial skeletons ( The skull subsequent area of the skeleton ) shows with a long neck, unusually wide neck vertebrae, a shoulder blade enlarged, extended, multi -capable limbs and a long tail an adaptation to an arboreal lifestyle. Suminia is the oldest tree-dwelling vertebrate land that was previously found. The forefoot has the Phalangenformel 2-3-4-5-3, 2-3-4-5-4 of the hind foot. The fingers and Zehenendglieder are laterally flattened and strongly curved.

Suminia had big eyes and as an adaptation to the herbivore diet strong, leaf -shaped teeth.

System

Suminia one of the Anomodontia an extinct group of non - mammalian synapsids from the Permian and the Triassic, which were the dominant herbivores in all terrestrial vertebrates during the Late Permian.