Thrinaxodon
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 Restoration of Thrinaxodon
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Prehistoric
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Thrinaxodon was a cynodont, a mammal-like "reptile". Many scientists suggest that the pits on the skull indicate that Thrinaxodon had whiskers and, therefore, probably had a covering of fur. There are suggestions that it was warm-blooded.
A low-slung, sharp-toothed carnivore, Thrinaxodon lived in burrows, and ate small creatures. Clues to its remains show that this creature was more mammal-like than its synapsid ancestors. It had a fairly large head/skull with pits in the bone suggesting it had whiskers which of course also hint that its body was hairy. An enlarged dentary bone strengthened either side of the lower jaw and contained sockets for its teeth. Its chest and lower back regions were probably separated by a diaphragm - a muscular sheet that contracted to fill lungs, and would have enabled Thrinaxodon to breathe more efficiently than its ancestors. Its remains were found on South Africa and Antarctica. This animal lived during the Triassic Period.
[edit] In popular culture
- In the television series Walking with Dinosaurs, Thrinaxodon (identified as a cynodont) was shown looking after and protecting its young and eating its own young.
[edit] Reference
- Lambert, David (2003). Dinosaur Encyclopedia. DK Publishing, New York. 202-203.
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