Varanosaurus

Varanosaurus
Temporal range: Early Permian, 280 Ma
↓
Varanosaurus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Family:†Ophiacodontidae
Genus:†Varanosaurus
Broili, 1904
Type species
†Varanosaurus acutirostris
Broili, 1904
Species[1]
  • †V. acutirostris Broili 1904 (type)
  • †V. wichitaensis Romer 1937

Varanosaurus ('monitor lizard') is an extinct genus of early pelycosaur synapsid that lived during the Kungurian.

A reconstruction of Varanosaurus acutirostris

Description

Varanosaurus acutirostris being devoured by Dimetrodon limbatus

As its name implies, Varanosaurus may have looked superficially similar to present-day monitor lizards.

Varanosaurus had a flattened, elongated skull and a pointed snout with a row of sharp teeth, including two pairs of conspicuous pseudocanines, implying that it was an active predator.[2]

Varanosaurus probably lived in swamps, competing with the larger Ophiacodon for food.

Classification

Below is a cladogram modified from the analysis of Benson (2012):[3]

 

 

Tseajaia campi

 
 

Limnoscelis paludis

 
Amniota

 

 

Captorhinus spp.

 
 

Protorothyris archeri

 
 
Synapsida

 

 

Caseasauria

 
 

 

Ianthodon schultzei

 
 

 

Edaphosauridae

 
 

Sphenacodontia

 
 
 
 
 

 

Varanopidae

 
Ophiacodontidae

 

Archaeothyris florensis

 
 

 

Varanosaurus acutirostris

 
 

 

Ophiacodon spp.

 
 

Stereophallodon ciscoensis

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Varanosaurus". Fossilworks. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 187. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
  3. ↑ Benson, R.J. (2012). "Interrelationships of basal synapsids: cranial and postcranial morphological partitions suggest different topologies". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. in press (4): 601. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.631042.

Further reading

  • Benes, Josef. Prehistoric Animals and Plants. Pg. 90. Artia: Prague, 1979.


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