Athena Review Image Archive ™
Pristerognathus bainii skull
Skull of Pristerognathus bainii (after Smith and keyser 1995).
Pristerognathus bainii were abundant, medium size therapsids from the late Middle Permian period. First described by T.H. Huxley in 1868, they are also classified as Therocephalians ("beast heads"), and represent the index fossils for the Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone in the Karoo Basin of South Africa, dating from 265-260 mya. .
Their
body length was about 1.0-1.5 m, and their skull length was 20
cm. Pristognathus
were dog- or otter-sized carnivores, with large upper canine teeth,
incisors, and full range of cheek teeth in long, narrow skulls. They
probably hunted smaller therapsids and reptiles. Besides P. baini, two other species include P. polyodon and P. platyrhinus.
References:
Smith, R.H.M. and Keyser, A.W. 1995. Biostratigraphy of the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone. Geological Survey of South Africa, South African Committee for Stratigraphy, Biostratigraphic Series, 1:18-22.
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