Tapinocephalia
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Tapinocephalia Fossil range: Middle Permian to Late Permian |
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The Tapinocephalians are one of the major groups of Dinocephalian therapsids. Unlike Anteosaurs and estemmenosuchids, the tapinocephalia are mainly from Africa and only one species is found in the north - Ulemosaurus from Russia. The tapinocephalia form into two clades, Styracocephalidae, Titanosuchidae, and the Tapinocephalidae. Earlier tapinocephalians were carnivorous to omnivorous. One such carnivorous/omnivorous tapinocephalians are the Titanosuchidae. They were long-tailed predators that hunted other herbivorous therapsids. Later Tapinocephalians were herbivorous. Tapinocephalians were hard-headed and might have used their thick skulls for head-butting abilities. Some had horns, some have not. The most notable tapinocephalians are Moschops, Tapinocephalus, and Titanosuchus.