Dinosaur of the Month: Anteosaurus
Crossposted to 
primeval_denial
Artist's impression of an Anteosaurus
The Anteosaurus is a large carnivorous Therapsid from the middle Permian in South Africa. Therapsids (a kind of synapsid which is the family to which mammals belong) were hugely successful in the middle Permian and were among the largest animals of their time. Anteosaurus were comparable in size to Polar Bears and an early example of a really large terrestial predator.
Anteosaurs had large incisors and canines but only small teeth behind the canines. Although big, they had short limbs, so they probably weren't that fast and may have been semi-acquatic, lurking in water, like crocodiles to grab their prey. They have thickened skulls, suggested as an adaptation for head-butting.
Anteosaurus (Prehistoric Wildlife)
Anteosaurus (Synapsid Notebook)
Know Your Family (Synapsid Notebook)
Anteosaur (Wikipedia) This entry was originally posted at https://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/769752.html.
primeval_denial
Artist's impression of an Anteosaurus
The Anteosaurus is a large carnivorous Therapsid from the middle Permian in South Africa. Therapsids (a kind of synapsid which is the family to which mammals belong) were hugely successful in the middle Permian and were among the largest animals of their time. Anteosaurus were comparable in size to Polar Bears and an early example of a really large terrestial predator.
Anteosaurs had large incisors and canines but only small teeth behind the canines. Although big, they had short limbs, so they probably weren't that fast and may have been semi-acquatic, lurking in water, like crocodiles to grab their prey. They have thickened skulls, suggested as an adaptation for head-butting.
Anteosaurus (Prehistoric Wildlife)
Anteosaurus (Synapsid Notebook)
Know Your Family (Synapsid Notebook)
Anteosaur (Wikipedia) This entry was originally posted at https://purplecat.dreamwidth.org/769752.html.