#therapsid

Permian Potatoes, fresh out of Krita this morning!

A pair of Inostrancevia watching over their territory.

Lystrosaurus

Lystrosaurus (Greek meaning “shovel reptile”) was a herbivore dicynodont that lived from the Lopingian (late Permian) to Early Triassic. Its fossils are known from South Africa, India, Russia, China and Antarctica. Lystrosaurus survived the Permian-Triassic extinction event, and went onto thrive in the early Triassic, at one point making up 95% of all terrestrial Vertebrates.

Lystrosaurus is notable for dominating southern Pangaea for millions of years during the Early Triassic. At least one unidentified species of this genus survived the end-Permian mass extinction and, in the absence of predators and herbivorous competitors, went on to thrive and re-radiate into a number of species within the genus, becoming the most common group of terrestrial vertebrates during the Early Triassic; for a while, 95% of land vertebrates were Lystrosaurus. This is the only time that a single species or genus of land animal dominated the Earth to such a degree. A few other Permian therapsid genera also survived the mass extinction and appear in Triassic rocks—the therocephalians Tetracynodon, Moschorhinus and Ictidosuchoides—but do not appear to have been abundant in the Triassic; complete ecological recovery took 30 million years, spanning the Early and Middle Triassic…

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Smilesaurus

A large gorgonopsian, from the Late Permian period, with a skull up to 31 cm (12 in) long, is characterized by extremely long canines, proportionally the longest of any gorgonopsian. Unlike other gorgonopsians, Smilesaurus may have been a true saber-toothed predator, using tactics similar to those of saber-toothed cats.

Promoschorhynchus

An Akidnognathid therocephalian from late Permian to early Triassic South Africa.

It is a notable survivor of the Permian-Triassic extinction, possessing a robust skull and large caniniform teeth, characteristic of carnivores in the Akidnognathidae family.

Rubidgea

A pair of Rubidgea engage in brutal and bloody fighting in Africa during the Permian period some 255 million years ago. Rubidgea was one of the largest of the gorgonopsids, estimated to have been up to 3 metres long. It used its enormous sabre fangs for hunting as well as fighting.

Portrait of the anomodont Anomocephalus africanus from the Middle Permian of South Africa. This therapsid is known from a deformed partial skull and jaw discovered in the Karoo Basin, famous for its diverse Permian faunas. The skull is approximately 20 cm long, with a moderately elongated snout. The zygomatic arch is typical of anomodonts. The lower jaw is fairly high. A complete set of teeth is present, with oval-shaped upper "incisors." The canines are barely stand out. Six teeth and four empty alveoli on the palate are preserved. The closest relative of Anomocephalus was the Brazilian Tiarajudens, an unusual fanged form known from a skull and partial postcranial skeleton. The African taxon may have had similar limb proportions (the proportions of the entire skeleton are not precisely known for either genera). Anomocephalus may have been a herbivore, crushing food with the chewing surfaces of its teeth.