| Elginia Temporal range: Late Permian |
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|---|---|
| Elginia mirabilis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Superclass: | Tetrapoda |
| Class: | Sauropsida/Reptilia |
| Subclass: | Anapsida/Parareptilia |
| Order: | Procolophonia |
| Family: | Pareiasauridae |
| Genus: | Elginia |
| Species | |
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Elginia was a pareiasaur; a member of a group of Late Permian parareptiles which normally grew up to 3 metres (9.8 ft).
Elginia was a dwarf genus of pareiasaur, only about 60 centimetres (2 ft) long, with fossils found at Elgin in Scotland. Its head was covered in spikes, with the longest pair growing out of the back of the skull. These spikes were probably used for display rather than physical combat.[1]