Titanosuchidae

Titanosuchidae Temporal range: Middle Permian, 270–260 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Life restoration of Titanosuchus ferox
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Synapsida
Order:	Therapsida
Suborder:	†Dinocephalia
Clade:	†Titanosuchia Broom
Family:	†Titanosuchidae Broom, 1903
Genera
†Titanosuchus †Jonkeria †Archaeosuchus †Lamiasaurus †Dinartamus †Enobius †Dinocynodon †Scullya

Titanosuchids are related to other dinocephalians, such as the tapinocephalidae - a group that includes Moschops. The most famous titanosuchids are Jonkeria and Titanosuchus.

Description

The titanosuchids were carnivorous to omnivorous (herbivorous?) tapinocephalid dinocephalians. As with other tapinocephalids, they had thick-skulls probably for head-butting. They had large canine teeth, and their incisors were very strong.

References

• L. D. Boonstra, "The Fauna of the Tapinocephalus Zone (Beaufort Beds of the Karoo)", Annals of the South African Museum, 56 (1) 1969, pp. 1–73
• Carroll, R. L. Vertebrate paleontology and evolution. -W. H. Freeman and company, New York, 1988
• Edwin H. Colbert, Evolution of the Vertebrates, 2nd edition, 1969, John Wiley & Sons
• James A. Hopson and Herbert R. Barghusen, "An Analysis of Therapsid Relationships", in The Ecology and Biology of Mammal-Like Reptiles ed. by Nocholas Hotton III, Paul D. MacLean, Jan J. Roth and E. Carol Roth, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London, 1986, pp. 83–106
• Gillian M. King, "Anomodontia" Part 17 C, Encyclopedia of Paleoherpetology, Gutsav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart and New York, 1988

External links

• Titanosuchidae at Kheper website.