| Ulemosaurus Temporal range: Permian |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Synapsida |
| Order: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | Dinocephalia |
| Superfamily: | Tapinocephalia |
| Family: | Tapinocephalidae |
| Genus: | Ulemosaurus |
| Species: | U. svijagensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ulemosaurus svijagensis Rjabinin, 1938 |
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Ulemosaurus svijagensis was a dinocephalian synapsid that lived 250 million years ago, at Isheevo in Russian Tatarstan.
Only several partial skeletons and skulls have been found. The skull bones are extremely dense: about 10 cm at its thickest. This thickening is possibly related to head-butting behavior, as some researchers suggest. The species is considered a herbivore, but because the mandible is heavily constructed some palaeontologists consider it a carnivore, with the species being able to use muscle power to cut prey up with its incisors.
Ulemosaurus was closely related to Moschops. Both were tapinocephalids, a group of bulky herbivores which flourished in the Middle Permian. Ulemosaurus and other tapinocephalians disappeared at the end of the Mid-Permian.