Trirachodon
Sign in to saveTrirachodon (Greek: "three ridge tooth") is an extinct genus of cynodonts. Fossils have been found in the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group in South Africa and the Omingonde Formation of Namibia, dating back to the Early and Middle Triassic.
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Trirachodon (Greek: "three ridge tooth") is an extinct genus of cynodonts. Fossils have been found in the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Beaufort Group in South Africa and the Omingonde Formation of Namibia, dating back to the Early and Middle Triassic.
==Description== The skull of Trirachodon had a short, narrow snout with a wide orbital region. The zygomatic arches were relatively slender. Trirachodon was quite small for a cynodont, growing no larger than 50 cm in length. It had noticeably less molariform teeth than its closely related contemporary Diademodon. These teeth tended to be transversely broader than Diademodon as well. A bony secondary palate and precise postcanine tooth occlusion are seen as derived characteristics in Trirachodon that are similar to those of mammals.