''Varanodon'' is an extinct genus of

amniotes Amniotes are tetrapod vertebrate animals belonging to the clade Amniota, a large group that comprises the vast majority of living terrestrial and semiaquatic vertebrates. Amniotes evolved from amphibious stem tetrapod ancestors during the ...

from the family

Varanopidae Varanopidae is an extinct family (biology), family of amniotes known from the Late Carboniferous to Middle Permian that resembled monitor lizards (with the name of the group deriving from the monitor lizard genus ''Varanus'') and may have filled ...

. It has been found in the Chickasha Formation of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, which dates to the

Roadian In the geologic timescale, the Roadian is an age or stage of the Permian. It is the earliest or lower of three subdivisions of the Guadalupian Epoch or Series. The Roadian lasted between and million years ago (Ma). It was preceded by the Kun ...

stage of the

Middle Permian The Guadalupian is the second and middle series/epoch of the Permian. The Guadalupian was preceded by the Cisuralian and followed by the Lopingian. It is named after the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico and Texas, and dates between 272.95 ± 0. ...

. The largest varanopid known at the time of its description, with a skull length of , it was closely related to and lived alongside its much larger relative '' Watongia''. The two may represent growth stages of a single animal.

References

Varanopidae Prehistoric synapsid genera Cisuralian synapsids of North America Taxa named by Everett C. Olson Fossil taxa described in 1965 Cisuralian genus first appearances Cisuralian genus extinctions {{paleo-synapsid-stub

See also

References