Lycosuchus
Appearance
Lycosuchus Temporal range: Middle Permian,
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Lycosuchus sp. skull at the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Therapsida |
Clade: | †Therocephalia |
Family: | †Lycosuchidae |
Genus: | †Lycosuchus |
Species | |
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Lycosuchus ("wolf crocodile") is an extinct genus of carnivorous therocephalians which lived in the Middle Permian 265—260 Ma existing for approximately 5 million years. It was a medium-sized predator, reaching 1.2 m (3.8 ft) in length with a skull 23 cm long.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Lycosuchus1.jpg/220px-Lycosuchus1.jpg)
Discovered in South Africa, it was named by paleontologist Robert Broom in 1903 and later assigned by him to Therocephalia.
See also
Notes and references
- ^ T.S. Kemp (2005) The origin and evolution of mammals p.55
- R. Broom (1913) A revision of the reptiles of the Karroo. Annals of the South African Museum 7(6):361-366
External links
- http://fossils.valdosta.edu/fossil_pages/fossils_per/t72.html Cast of skull and jaw courtesy of the National Museum, Bloemfontein South Africa