Tapinocephalus ("humble head") is an extinct genus of large herbivorous dinocephalians that lived during the Middle Permian Period in what is now South Africa. Only the type species, Tapinocephalus atherstonei is now considered valid for this genus.
| Tapinocephalus Temporal range: Guadalupian epoch, Capitanian stage
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Synapsida |
| Clade: | Therapsida |
| Suborder: | †Dinocephalia |
| Family: | †Tapinocephalidae |
| Subtribe: | †Tapinocephalina |
| Genus: | †Tapinocephalus Owen, 1876 |
| Species: | †T. atherstonei
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| Binomial name | |
| †Tapinocephalus atherstonei Owen, 1876
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| Synonyms | |
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Description edit
These stocky, barrel-bodied animals were characterised by a massive bony skull roof and short weak snout. It is thought that, like other tapinocephalians, they engaged in intraspecific head-butting, possibly to compete for territory or mates. In life, they were over 3 metres (10 ft) in length and massed around 1.5 to 2 tonnes (3,300 to 4,400 lb), making them among the largest animals of their time.
Tapinocephalus atherstonei is known from a number of skulls and postcranial bones. The skull is large with a heavily pachyostotic skull roof, a massive bony frontals and a short weak Moschops-like snout.
Distribution edit
The fossil remains (skull and postcranial elements) of Tapinocephalus are known from the Lower, Middle, and Upper part of the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone (Capitanian age) of the Lower Beaufort Beds of the South African Karoo.[1]
Taxonomy edit
Taurops is considered as a synonym of Tapinocephalus.[1] Phocosaurus megischion is another synonym differing only in that the transition from the frontals to the snout is not abrupt.
See also edit
References edit
Sources edit
- Boonstra, L.D. 1956, "The skull of Tapinocephalus and its near relatives" Annals of the South African Museum, 43 Part 3 pp. 137–169, 17 figs, plate 4.
- 1969. The fauna of the Tapinocephalus Zone (Beaufort beds of the Karoo). Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 56:1–73.
- King, Gillian M., 1988 "Anomodontia" Part 17 C, Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology, Gutsav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart and New York.
External links edit
- "Tapinocephalia - Tapinocephalus". Palaeos. Archived from the original on March 18, 2006.
- M. A. Cluver. "The early mammal-like reptiles". Izico. Museums of Cape Town. Archived from the original on February 12, 2006.
- "NAPC 2001". Abstracts, Ra - Ru. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021.