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Procynosuchus delaharpae skeleton
Skeleton of Procynosuchus delaharpae (drawing after Kemp 1980, fig.13 )
Procynosuchus delaharpae was a semi-aquatic cynodont ("dog tooth") from the Late Permian period, dating from 260-253 mya. Found in the Cistecephalus and Daptocephalus Zones of South Africa and Zambia, and the Tartarian Zone IV of Russia, they evolved from the same basic therapsid ancestors as the therocephalians ("beast heads").
Procynosuchus delaharpae, named by South African paleontologist Robert Broom in 1937, was an early cynodont with many primitive features, but also some unique skeletal features in the ribs and limbs, some possibly serving as adaptations for semi-aquatic, riverine or estuarine habits. P. delaharpae was later found with most of the skeleton and a skull intact, in the Madumbabisa Mudstone of the Middle Luangwa Valley in Zambia (Kemp 1980).
Reference:
Kemp, T.S. 1980. The primitive cynodont Procynosuchus: structure, function and evolution of the postcranial skeleton. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 288 (1027): 217–258.
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