Moschops
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| Moschops Fossil range: Middle Permian |
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 Life restoration of Moschops capensis
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Moschops (meaning calf face) was an extinct genus of mammal-like reptile (therapsid) which lived in the Middle Permian, some 255 million years ago. Its remains were found in the Karoo region of South Africa.
[edit] Description
It was the largest animal in the area at the time, with a body length of around 5 m (16 ft). It was heavily built and quadrupedal. It was a herbivore with short, peglike teeth.
It had a thickened skull and many scientists believed that animals competed with each other by head-butting[citation needed]; mountain sheep use a similar method (though some scientists suggest that the heavy skull on the find may be a result of a disease). A short, but heavy tail may have counter-balanced its large head if the thick skull was a natural occurrence. It was probably the main source of food for other predatory therapsids in the area.
Moschops was most likely preyed upon by Lycaenops and Titanosuchus[citation needed].
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