Titanosuchus
Extinct genus of therapsids / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Titanosuchus ferox ("Fierce titan crocodile") is an extinct species of dinocephalian therapsids that lived in the Middle Permian epoch in South Africa.
Titanosuchus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Synapsida |
Clade: | Therapsida |
Suborder: | †Dinocephalia |
Family: | †Titanosuchidae |
Genus: | †Titanosuchus Owen, 1876 |
Species: | †T. ferox |
Binomial name | |
†Titanosuchus ferox Owen, 1879 | |
Synonyms | |
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Along with its close relatives, Jonkeria and Moschops, Titanosuchus inhabited present-day South Africa around 265 million years ago, in the Late Permian. Titanosuchus was a carnivore which measured over 2.5 m long and might have eaten both Jonkeria and Moschops, among other vertebrates.[1] Its teeth included sharp incisors and fang-like canines, perfect for biting prey.[2]
Titanosuchus should not be confused with the therapsid Eotitanosuchus, which belonged to a different family.
Parascapanodon and Scapanodon were once thought to be distinct genera, but are now considered to be junior synonyms of Titanosuchus.[3]