Shashajaia

Shashajaia Temporal range: Gzhelian–Sakmarian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Clade:	Sphenacodontia
Genus:	†Shashajaia Huttenlocker, 2021
Type species
†Shashajaia bermani

Shashajaia is a genus of extinct non-mammalian synapsids from the late Carboniferous to Early Permian. It was one of the earliest members of the group, coming from the Gzhelian stage.^[1] It lived in what is now the Halgaito Formation, in the U.S state of Utah. According to a published study, this syanpsid is known from well preserved dentary and jaw fragments.^[1] Shashajaia shares many similarities to other sphenacodontids including, enlarged (canine-like) anterior dentary teeth, a dorsoventrally deep symphysis and low-crowned, subthecodont postcanines having festooned plicidentine.^[1] The study also found that this genus is close to the evolutionary divergence of the Sphenacodontids and the Therapsids, from which mammalian synapsids (including humans) arose from.^[1] Based on studies done on its teeth, Paleontologists found that as their prey became more terrestrial, synapsids like Shashajaia adapted to life on land and grew larger teeth to deal with larger herbivores in a evolutionary arms race.^[1]

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