''Pareiasaurus'' is an extinct genus of pareiasauromorph reptile from the

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last ...

period. It was a typical member of its

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, the pareiasaurids, which take their name from this

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

. Fossils have been found in the

Beaufort Group The Beaufort Group is the third of the main subdivisions of the Karoo Supergroup in South Africa. It is composed of a lower Adelaide Subgroup and an upper Tarkastad Subgroup. It follows conformably after the Ecca Group and unconformably underli ...

Description

''Pareiasaurus'' is a large

quadruped Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion where four limbs are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four limbs is said to be a quadruped (from Latin ''quattuor' ...

, about long, with

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

ine legs, walking in a typically reptilian posture. The skull is broad and the snout short. Its skull had several spine- and

wart Warts are typically small, rough, hard growths that are similar in color to the rest of the skin. They typically do not result in other symptoms, except when on the bottom of the feet, where they may be painful. While they usually occur on the ...

-like protrusions. ''Pareiasauruss

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

-shaped

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...

, ideal for biting through tough

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

fibers, indicate it was a herbivore. Even the

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separ ...

had teeth.

Species

''P. nasicornis'' (Haughton and Boonstra, 1929) is from the ''Tropidostoma'' Zone, Karoo basin, South Africa. This early form is one of the first representatives of the genus. It was originally included under the genus ''Pareiasuchus''. The snout is heavily armoured, and bears a horn-like boss. The teeth are equipped with 11 (or possibly 13 or 15) cusps. This is a large animal; the skull is about 50 cm in length. This species might be ancestral to ''Pareiasaurus peringueyi''. ''P. peringueyi'' (Haughton and Boonstra, 1929) is from the ''Cistecephalus'' Zone, Karoo basin, South Africa. It is represented by a nearly complete skeleton from the Zak River, South Africa. It is a medium-sized animal, the skull being 36 cm long. It is distinguished especially by the large quadrato-jugal region inclined far outwards and forwards so that its lower border makes an angle of about 120° with the maxillary border; this cheek bears large bony bosses. There are at least 13 pairs of teeth in the upper jaw, each with 13 or possibly 15 cusps. ''P. serridens'' (Owen, 1876) is from the ''Dicynodon'' Zone, Karoo basin, South Africa. This species was the type species for ''Pareiasuchus''. This late species is the type species for ''Pareiasaurus'', and represents the culmination of this lineage. The armour is well developed. There are 14 pairs of teeth, each with 9 to 11 cusps. The short deep skull is about 40 cm in length. Note the extended quadrato-jugal region (cheek bones).

References

External links

Pareiasaurinae
at Palaeos Pareiasaurs Permian reptiles of Africa Permian reptiles of Europe Fossil taxa described in 1876 Wuchiapingian genus first appearances Changhsingian genus extinctions Prehistoric reptile genera {{permian-reptile-stub