Biarmosuchus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikipedia:How to read a taxobox
How to read a taxobox
Biarmosuchus
Fossil range: Permian
life restoration of Biarmosuchus tener
life restoration of Biarmosuchus tener
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Class: Synapsida
Order: Therapsida
Suborder: Biarmosuchia
Family: Biarmosuchidae
Olsen, 1962
Genus: Biarmosuchus
Species: B. tener
Binomial name
Biarmosuchus tener
Tchudinov, 1960

Biarmosuchus tener was a therapsid that lived around 255 mya during the late Permian period. It was discovered in the Perm region of Russia. The specimen was found in channel sandstone that was deposited by flood waters originating from the young Ural mountains. The species is the most primitive of the mammal-like reptiles and had slender limbs. A large opening for the eye and a small temple opening common in primitive mammal-like reptiles, this lends to a weak bite but how it ate is pure speculation.

The teeth contained 8 small incisor's on the palate, followed by a canine tooth and a further 5 canine teeth. So together the species contained 14 upper teeth and 12 lower teeth of small size. (Kemp 1982)

[edit] Bibliography

  • Chudinov, P. K. 1965, "New Facts about the Fauna of the Upper Permian of the USSR", Journal of Geology, 73:117-30
  • Olsen, E. C., 1962, Late Permian terrestrial vertebrates, USA and USSR Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series, 52: 1–224.
  • Patricia Vickers-Rich and Thomas H. Rich, The Great Russian Dinosaurs, Guntar Graphics, 1993, pg.27
  • Kemp, TS 1982. Mammal-like Reptiles and the Origin of Mammals. Academic Press, New York, 363 pp

[edit] External links