Athena Review Image Archive ™
Charassognathus gracilis skull
Skull of Charassognathus gracilis with labelled bones (after Botha et al. 2007.)
Charassognathus gracilis is the earliest known cynodont ("dog-teeth"), a therapsid sub-order occuring widely during the Late Permian in South Africa and elsewhere. The name Charassognathus means Charasso- "notched," -gnathus "jaw", while gracilis means "slender" or gracile. It is in the class Synapsida, the order Therapsida, and the family Cynodontia. C. gracilis was discovered by Botha et al. (2007) near Fraserburg, South Africa in a Late Permian formation dated at 260 mya.
Charassognathus
gracilis was a small herbivore with a skull length of 5 cm (2 in). It is named
for a notch at the back of its lower jaw which was used to attach the
adductor mandibula externus muscle, used for chewing. Its teeth
were diversified, with four types found in cynodonts, including
incisors, very large canines, tricuspid premolars (see figure inset "T"), and molars.
Its skull has a large synapsid opening in the temporal region
for attachment of the adductor mandibula externus.
References:
Botha et al. 2007
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