Tapinocephalia
| Tapinocephalia Temporal range: Middle Permian, 268–260Ma (possible Kungurian record) | |
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| Moschops. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Order: | Therapsida |
| Clade: | Eutherapsida |
| Suborder: | †Dinocephalia |
| Clade: | †Tapinocephalia |
| Subgroups | |
Tapinocephalia is one of the major groups of dinocephalian therapsids.The Tapinocephalia are the major herbivorous clade of the Dinocephalia.The Tapinocephalia are thought to consist of three clades: the Styracocephalidae, the Titanosuchidae, and the very successful Tapinocephalidae. Notable tapinocephalians include Moschops, Tapinocephalus, and Titanosuchus.
Unlike the anteosaurs and estemmenosuchids, the tapinocephalians are primarily an African group.The estemmenosuchids and pareiasaurs may have occupied this paleo-bovine niche in the north.Only one tapinocephalian, Ulemosaurus, is known from Russia.
Earlier tapinocephalians were carnivorous or omnivorous. One such group of carnivorous/omnivorous tapinocephalians are the Titanosuchidae. These were long-tailed predators that hunted other herbivorous therapsids. Later tapinocephalians were herbivorous.
External links
- Tapinocephalia at Palaeos
- Dinocephalia at Palaeocritti
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