Criocephalosaurus
Criocephalosaurus Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Therapsida |
Suborder: | †Dinocephalia |
Family: | †Tapinocephalidae |
Subtribe: | †Moschopina |
Genus: | †Criocephalosaurus Kammerer & Sidor, 2002 |
Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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Criocephalosaurus is an extinct genus of tapinocephalian therapsids which existed in Southern Africa. It was originally named Criocephalus, but the name was preoccupied by a beetle genus.[1] There are two named species, C. vanderbyli and C. gunyankaensis: the range of the latter may have been farther north than that of C. vanderbyli. Boonstra (1963) considers this taxon the most specialized of the moschopines.
Description[]
These animals were 2.5 to 3 metres (8 ft 2 in to 9 ft 10 in) in length and 700 to 1,000 kilograms (1,543 to 2,205 lb) in mass. Criocephalosaurus is known from at least half a dozen skulls are now known. The intertemporal region is very broad and the cranial roof greatly thickened by pachyostosis.
References[]
- ^ Kammerer, C.F & Sidor, C.A. (2002). "Replacement names for the therapsid genera Criocephalus Broom 1928 and Olivieria Brink 1965". Palaeontologia Africana. 38: 71–72.
External links[]
- Tapinocephalidae at Kheper
Categories:
- Tapinocephalians
- Prehistoric therapsid genera
- Guadalupian synapsids of Africa
- Fossil taxa described in 2002
- Prehistoric therapsid stubs