#tapinocephalidae

Last year's portrait sketch of Moschops capensis, a tapinocephalid dinocephalian from the "Middle" Permian of South Africa. It is the most famous representative of his group. Reaching almost three meters in length, it possessed a massive body typical of tapinocephalids, strong limbs and a short tail. It is assumed that such a physique helped to keep warm. The skull is expanded at the back and has a very thick frontal-parietal region. Perhaps the Moschops were bumping heads or butting heads, trying to sort things out. It is also possible that the well blood supplied integument of the thickened head areas helped to shed excess heat. Teeth with ridges on the lingual (inner) side helped to crush plant food. Several similar genera of dinocephalians have been described, which are now considered synonymous with Moschops.

Tapinocaninus was a genus of tapinocephalid therapsid from the Middle Permian. Its type and only species is T. pamelae. Its known specimens were found in the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. Tapinocaninus is the largest known therapsid from the Guadalupian Period.

The generic name Tapinocaninus means humble (tapino) canine (caninus). The specific name pamelae was named for Pam Rubridge, the mother of the original describer, Bruce S. Rubridge. She was on the field when he discovered the first fossils.

Most known Tapinocaninus fossils consist of skulls, though its spine of 36 vertebrae, several ribs, pectoral and pelvic girdles, three humeri, and a femur have been discovered. Its autapomorphies include a relatively large temporal opening, only having two sacral vertebrae, only seven caudal vertebrae, a notably high amount of vertebral intercentra, an anterior coracoid included in the glenoid, which is straight and facing posteroventrally, and the lack of ectepicondylar foramen.

Tapinocaninus has been recovered as the most basal member of Tapinocephalidae, as it has both derived dinocephalian features and ancestral features of sphenacodonts. Tapinocephalidae itself is the most derived family of Dinocephalia.

Original paper: Rubridge 1991, Postcranial materials description 2019

One day I decided to read a wonderful book by Soviet paleontologist Yuri Orlov "In the World of Ancient Animals" ("В мире древних животных" in Russian), and more specifically, a chapter about the Upper Permian animals of the Volga region and the Northern Dvina. And, inspired by the "segment" about the Isheevo fauna (the "middle" Permian of Tatarstan), he made these sketches with a red brush. Dinocephalians are depicted here - predatory Titanophoneus potens (full-grown young and portrait of an adult), herbivorous Ulemosaurus svijagensis (full-grown and portrait) and specialized (possibly on fish with dense scales) predator Syodon efremovi (portrait). In addition to them, the anomodont Ulemica invisa is depicted on the upper right, a primitive relative of dicynodonts with crushing teeth, long known as the second Venjukovia species.