| Biarmosuchus Temporal range: Permian |
|
|---|---|
| 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 eight small incisors on the palate, followed by a canine tooth and a further five canine teeth. So together the species contained fourteen upper teeth and twelve lower teeth of small size. (Kemp 1982)