Varanosaurus

Varanosaurus
Temporal range: Early Permian, 290–273 Ma
A reconstruction of Varanosaurus acutirostris
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Family: Ophiacodontidae
Genus: Varanosaurus
Broili, 1904
Type species
Varanosaurus acutirostris
Broili, 1904
Species
  • V. acutirostris Broili 1904 (type)
  • V. wichitaensis Romer 1937

Varanosaurus ('monitor lizard') is an extinct genus of early ophiacodontid synapsid that lived during the Artinskian and Kungurian ages of the Permian.

Description

Varanosaurus acutirostris being devoured by Dimetrodon limbatus

As its name implies, Varanosaurus may have looked superficially similar to present-day monitor lizards[citation needed], though not related at all.

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.

Varanosaurus probably lived in swamps, competing with the larger Ophiacodon for food.[citation needed]

Classification

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

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



This page was last updated at 2024-03-04 01:21 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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