Euchambersia

Euchambersia
Temporal range: Late Permian
Euchambersia and its prey, a dicynodont
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Order: Therapsida
Suborder: Therocephalia
Family: Akidnognathidae
Genus: Euchambersia
Broom, 1931
Type species
Euchambersia mirabilis
Broom, 1931

Euchambersia was a therocephalian therapsid that lived during the Late Permian epoch, approximately 250 million years ago, in what is now South Africa.

Description

Restoration

Euchambersia was a unique therocephalian. It apparently had venom glands connected to its canine teeth. Like snakes, the teeth of Euchambersia were adapted to inject venom to kill its prey. A recess behind each canine tooth housed the venom gland, while grooves down the outer sides of the canine teeth delivered the venom into the puncture wound,[1] together with powerful jaws this made it a very efficient predator to hunt the herbivorous dicynodonts and pareiasaurs it encountered.[2] The discovery of another therocephalian, Ichibengops, from Zambia, Africa, may indicate that venom was more common in therocephalians than previously believed, as the specimen had grooves above its teeth not unlike those of Euchambersia.[3]

In popular culture

Euchambersia made an appearance in Walking with Monsters. Here, identified as a therocephalian, it was seen hunting Lystrosaurus in packs while the herd passed through a canyon. It is depicted as being nocturnal and having venom more potent than that of a black mamba. The model used for the Euchambersia was the same model that was used for the Thrinaxodon that appeared in the first episode of Walking with Dinosaurs.

See also

References

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