Sphenacodon
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| Sphenacodon Temporal range: Cisuralian |
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| Skeleton of Sphenacodon ferox in the Field Museum of Natural History. | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Synapsida |
| Family: | †Sphenacodontidae |
| Subfamily: | †Sphenacodontinae Marsh, 1878 |
| Genus: | †Sphenacodon |
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Sphenacodon was a pelycosaur that was about 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length. Sphenacodon belongs to the family Sphenacodontidae, a lineage that was related to the therapsids. It lived in the Early Permian in present day Texas and New Mexico.
Sphenacodon's vertebral spines were long, and probably acted as attachment points for massive back muscles, allowing the animal to lunge powerfully at its prey. It was closely related to Dimetrodon, but lacked the large "sail" of that animal. It had heavy jaws with powerful teeth, including long canines and cutting cheek teeth, which indicate that it was probably carnivorous. [1]
[edit] Gallery
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Restoration of Sphenacodon.
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Pair of Sphenacodon.
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Skull of S. ferox in the Field Museum.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 187. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
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