Pelycosaur
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
| Pelycosaurs Fossil range: Late Carboniferous - Late Permian (non-therapsid) |
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 Dimetrodon grandis skeleton at the
National Museum of Natural History |
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Caseasauria |
Pelycosaur (meaning "basin lizards") were the earliest, and most primitive synapsids; they were not dinosaurs. These quadrupeds appeared during the upper Carboniferous and went extinct during the Permian period (before the Triassic period when the dinosaurs evolved).
[change] Characteristics
Pelycosaur began small, lizard-like animals and evolved into larger, more differentiated type. Some were carnivores, some were herbivores; some had sailbacks like Dimetrodon, smoe did not. The swamp dwellers has a sprawling gait and were likely ancestor of the therapsids, which led to the mammals.
[change] Taxonomy
- Order †Pelycosauria*
- Suborder †Caseasauria
- Family †Caseidae
- Family †Eothyrididae
- Suborder †Eupelycosauria
- Family †Edaphosauridae
- Family †Haplodontidae*
- †Cutleria
- †Haptodus
- †Palaeohatteria
- †Pantelosaurus
- Family †Lupeosauridae
- †Lupeosaurus
- Family †Ophiacodontidae
- Family †Sphenacodontidae
- Family †Varanopseidae
- Suborder †Caseasauria
- Order †Therapsida*
[change] References
Look up Pelycosauria in Wikispecies, a directory of species
- Reisz, R. R., 1986, Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie – Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology, Part 17A Pelycosauria Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, ISBN 3-89937-032-5
- Romer, AS & Price L.I (1940), Review of the Pelycosauria. Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Papers 28: 1-538.
