Biarmosuchus

Biarmosuchus Temporal range: Late Permian 255 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
life restoration of Biarmosuchus tener
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Superclass:	Tetrapoda
Class:	Synapsida
Order:	Therapsida
Suborder:	Biarmosuchia
Family:	Biarmosuchidae Olsen, 1962
Genus:	Biarmosuchus
Species:	B. tener
Binomial name
Biarmosuchus tener Tchudinov, 1960

Biarmosuchus tener was a therapsid that lived around 255 mya during the late Permian period. It was discovered in the Perm region of Russia. The specimen was found in channel sandstone that was deposited by flood waters originating from the young Ural mountains. The species is the most primitive of the mammal-like reptiles and had slender limbs. A large opening for the eye and a small temple opening common in primitive mammal-like reptiles, this lends to a weak bite but how it ate is pure speculation. Biarmosuchus grew up to 1.5-2 m in length.^[1]

The teeth contained eight small incisors on the palate, followed by a canine tooth and a further five canine teeth. So together the species contained fourteen upper teeth and twelve lower teeth of small size. (Kemp 1982)

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  Biarmosuchus

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  Biarmosuchus tener head.

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  Biarmosuchus

See also

• List of synapsids

References

• Chudinov, P. K. 1965, "New Facts about the Fauna of the Upper Permian of the USSR", Journal of Geology, 73:117-30
• Olsen, E. C., 1962, Late Permian terrestrial vertebrates, USA and USSR Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series, 52: 1–224.
• Patricia Vickers-Rich and Thomas H. Rich 1993, The Great Russian Dinosaurs, Guntar Graphics, p.27
• Kemp, TS 1982. Mammal-like Reptiles and the Origin of Mammals. Academic Press, New York, 363 pp

External links

• Biarmosuchidae
• Anatomy
• Systematic Palaeontology

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