Casea

Casea
Temporal range: Late Permian 260.4–251 Ma
C. broilii skeleton in the Field Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Synapsida
Order: Pelycosauria
Family: Caseidae
Genus: Casea
Williston, 1910
species
  • C. broilii, † Williston, 1910
  • C. halselli, † Olson, 1954
  • C. nicholsi, † Olson, 1954
  • C. rutena, † Sigogneau-Russell & Russell, 1974

Casea is an extinct genus of pelycosaur synapsid which was about 1.2 metres (4 ft) long, slightly smaller than the otherwise very similar Caseoides. Casea was one of the first terrestrial herbivores, sharing its world with animals such as Dimetrodon and Eryops.

Description

Size relative to a human
C. broilii restoration

Casea had a heavy, rotund, body and a small skull. Its rib cage was greatly expanded, presumably to make space for a large, plant-fermening gut. Like other caseids, it lacked teeth in its lower jaw, and had blunt teeth in the upper jaw. These adaptations indicate that Casea was a herbivore, feeding on relatively tough plants, such as ferns.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 188. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
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