Skip to content
Moschorhinus
EntityQ1093062· pop 11· linked from 232 articles

Moschorhinus

Sign in to save

Moschorhinus is an extinct genus of therocephalian synapsid in the family Akidnognathidae with only one species: M. kitchingi, which has been found in the Late Permian to Early Triassic of the South African Karoo Supergroup. It was a large carnivorous therapsid, reaching in total body length with the largest skull comparable to that of a lion in size, and had a broad, blunt snout which bore long, straight canines.

~9 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Taxonomy
  • Classification
  • Description
  • Snout
  • Teeth
  • Skull roof
  • Eye sockets
  • Palate
  • Paleobiology
  • Paleoecology
  • References

Moschorhinus is an extinct genus of therocephalian synapsid in the family Akidnognathidae with only one species: M. kitchingi, which has been found in the Late Permian to Early Triassic of the South African Karoo Supergroup. It was a large carnivorous therapsid, reaching in total body length with the largest skull comparable to that of a lion in size, and had a broad, blunt snout which bore long, straight canines.

Moschorhinus appears to have ecologically replaced the gorgonopsids as an apex predator, and hunted much like a big cat. While most abundant in the Late Permian, it survived into the Early Triassic in small numbers after the Permian Extinction, though these Triassic survivors had stunted growth.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Moschorhinus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (3)

Available in 10 languages

via Wikidata sitelinks · CC0