Deuterosaurus
Deuterosaurus | ||||||||||||
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Artist's impression of Deuterosaurus biarmicus |
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Temporal occurrence | ||||||||||||
Late Wordium to Capitanium | ||||||||||||
267 to 260.4 million years | ||||||||||||
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Deuterosaurus | ||||||||||||
Eichwald , 1860 | ||||||||||||
species | ||||||||||||
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Deuterosaurus ( Greek "second lizard") is an extinct genus of early Therapsiden ("early mammalian relatives") from the group of Dinocephalia . The fossils aredatedto the Middle Permian ( Tatarium ) of Russia. Most of the finds come from Eastern Europe.
The first description of the genus deuterosaurus gave Karl Eichwald 1860. There are two valid species, deuterosaurus biarmicus and deuterosaurus Jubilaei .
Physique and ecology
Deuterosaurus is known to have both valid species from multiple skull finds and few postcranial elements. This genus of earlier Dinocephalia was characterized by a relatively short snout, which was already reinforced with the fangs characteristic of all anteosaurids . However, the animal's molars were relatively small and rounded, so that a herbivore or omnivore way of life similar to that of a modern grizzly bear can be concluded.
Like all representatives of the Dinocephalia, Deuterosaurus had a thickening of the skull roof , which was probably used for turf or mating fights. The thighbones of the Deuterosaurus , like those of most of the other early representatives of the Dinocephalia, were still very similar to those of the Sphenacodontia . Like these, Deuterosaurus also ran with its legs spread apart, with its tail swinging back and forth like modern reptiles .
Synonyms
There are a number of synonyms for both species of the genus Deuterosaurus .
Deuterosaurus biarmicus :
- Deuterosaurus mnemonialis (Eichwald, 1860)
- Eurosaurus verus (Eichwald, 1860)
Deuterosaurus jubilaei :
- Mnemeiosaurus jubilaei (Nopcsa, 1928)
- Uraniskosaurus watsoni (Nopcsa, 1928)
Deuterosaurus gigas is likely a Ulemosaurus . In earlier works was deuterosaurus incorrectly as dinosaurs of the Triassic classified.
Individual evidence
- ^ Robert Lynn Carroll : Paleontology and Evolution of the Vertebrates. Thieme, Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-13774-401-6 .
- ↑ Eichwald, CE: Lethaea Rossica ou paleontology de la Russie: v. 1st ancient period , Stuttgart 1860
- ↑ Paleocritti: Deuterosaurus (accessed June 1, 2011)
- ^ Huxley, TH (1869). "Triassic Dinosauria" Nature 1: 23-24.