''Titanophoneus'' ("titanic murderer") is an extinct genus of carnivorous
dinocephalian
therapsid from the
Middle Permian. It is classified within the family
Anteosauridae. The
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
is ''Titanophoneus potens''.
Remains of ''Titanophoneus'' have been found at
Isheevo,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
.
Description
An adult skull would have reached 80 cm with a heavy long snout. The long tail and short limbs show the species to be a primitive therapsid, unlike ''
Inostrancevia,'' which was more advanced. The structure of the limbs and the density of the bone are designed for a sprawling stance. The temporal opening is more advanced than
Estemmenosuchidae, but less advanced than ''Inostrancevia''.
The teeth are large with 12 large palate incisors followed by 2 canines and various smaller back teeth. The lower palate is the same as the upper but without the canine teeth. The appearance of ''Titanophoneus'' is reminiscent to the
sphenacodontid pelycosaurs, which included ''
Dimetrodon''.
Gallery
File:Titanophoneus 3.jpg, Reconstruction of a ''T. potens'' feasting on a '' Ulemosaurus''
File:Titanophoneus2.jpg, Reconstruction of a pair of'' T. potens ''
File:Titanophoneus Moscow.jpg, Fossil skeleton of a juvenile individual.
File:Doliosauriscus1DB.jpg, Reconstruction of ''T. adamanteus''
File:Titanophoneus chart2 DB15.jpg, Two specimens of ''T. potens'' compared to a human
See also
*
List of therapsids
This list of therapsids is an attempt to create a comprehensive listing of all Genus, genera that have ever been included in the Therapsida excluding mammals and purely vernacular terms. The list includes all commonly accepted genera, but also gene ...
References
*
External links
Taxonomy
{{Taxonbar, from=Q284062
Anteosaurs
Prehistoric therapsid genera
Guadalupian synapsids of Europe
Fossil taxa described in 1938
Taxa named by Ivan Yefremov
Roadian life
Wordian life