Dinocephalia

Dinocephalia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Superclass: Tetrapoda Division: Amniota Class: Synapsida Order: Therapsida Suborder: Dinocephalia
Families
Estemmenosuchidae   Brithopodidae   Anteosauridae   Deuterosauridae   Styracocephalidae   Titanosuchidae   Tapinocephalidae

Dinocephalia are a clade of large early therapsids that flourished during the Middle Permian, but became extinct leaving no descendents.

Apart from the Biarmosuchia and the Eotitanosuchidae , the Dinocephalia are the least advanced among the therapsids, although still uniquely specialised in their own way. They retain a number of primitive characteristics (e.g. no secondary palate , small dentary ) shared with their pelycosaur ancestors, although they are also more advanced in possessing therapsid adaptations like the expansion of the ilium and more erect limbs. They include carnivorous, herbivorous, and ominivorous forms, some semi-aquatic and some fully terrestrial, and were also among the largest animals of the Permian period; only the biggest Caseidae and Pareiasauridae rivalling them in size.

All dinocephalians are distinguished by having interlocking incisors allowing a shearing contact between upper and lower teeth. In more advanced forms, the heels on the lingual sides of the incisor teeth met to form a crushing surface when the jaws were shut, allowing the grinding up of plant matter.

Most dinocephalians also developed pachyostosis of the bones in the skull, which seems to have been an adaptation for intra-specific behaviour (head-butting), perhaps for territory or a mate.

Dinocephalians are extraordinary for their large size. The biggest herbivores (Jonkeria , Tapinocephalus ) may have massed upto two tonnes in weight, and were some 4.5 meters long, while the largest carnivores (such as Titanophoneus and Anteosaurus ) were at least as long, with heavy skulls 80 cm long, and overall weights of around half a tonne.

During the early Capitanian , advanced dinocephalia radiated into a large number of herbivorous forms; representing a diverse megafauna. This is well known from the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone of the Southern African Karoo. Shortly after, at the hight of their diversity, the dinocephalians suddenly died out. The reason for their extinction is not clear. They were replaced by much smaller Therapsids: herbivorous Dicynodontia and carnivorous biarmosuchians, Gorgonopsians and Therocephalians .

External links

• Dinocephalia - Palaeos